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46 every living thing on earth pray to God for deliverance. At first, Narts thought the dwarfs were invulnerable only to man’s hand, but even Amazons could not fight them. That was when the Maker recalled His promise and called from under the highest mountain peaks the souls of damned warriors cruel to their enemies. God turned them into cranes to smite the dwarfs. That was how the war of cranes and Pygmies started” 85 . (Translated by Samuel Butler) The Chechen versions of epic heroes’ personal names show the archaism of the Nart epic and its connection with primeval land-tilling cults. “Nart Orstkhoi”, one of the variants of the name of Narts in the Chechen version of the common Caucasian heroic epic, points only at the geography of their settlement, meaning “the Narts living in the foothills and the Black Mountains”. Initially, the Chechen word “Orstkhoi” (derived from arts/ars, which means “foothills” or “wood-grown hills”) stood for people of the foothills, irrespective of ethnicity and tribe. However fragmentary, the Nart epic of the Vainakh includes almost all the heroes of the general Caucasian epic— Soska Solsa, Botkiy Shirtka, Khamchi Pataraz, Sela Sata and others. The following themes dominate the Vainakh Nart epic: 1. Raids, armed clashes and jousts. 2. Theomachy. 85 Хасиев С.-М. Мифы о «заячьих всадниках» // Рукопись . 3. Blessing. 4. The death of the Narts. The appraisive accents on epic heroes’ conduct shifted in the Chechen version of the epic later—probably, due to a radical change of the Chechen social system and value scale during the anti-feudal war of teips (clannish communities), which eventually brought clan democracy 86 . Uzdiat Dalgat also mentions it in her monograph: “The figures of the Nart Orstkhoi lack graphic epic colours observed in the Nart epic. There is, however, every reason to recognise the heroic interpretation of those characters, though evil underlies their valour—it is, so to say, negative heroism. The treatment of local characters is quite different. The tales pay special attention to them because it is them the people idealise. Their idealisation rests on the difference of social, economic and aesthetic criteria. The concept of the ideal hero expands and becomes more profound. Apart from such indispensable qualities as strength, courage and valour, the epic extols the sense of duty, responsibility to kinsmen and tribesmen, and self-sacrifice to common weal” 87 . The Chechen Nart epic needs reappraisal and new studies — in particular, with an account for archaic passages recorded by Chechen folklore students in the concluding decades of the 20 th century. It is also necessary to better systematise its comparison with other North Caucasian peoples’ epics. Only then 86 It might be also connected with the impact of a monotheistic religion denouncing violence and injustice. 87 Далгат У.Б. Героический эпос чеченцев и ингушей. М, 1972. С. 199–200.
will objective appraisal of the genesis of Chechen legends of Narts be possible. Chechen tales (fairy tales, animal tales, and tales of everyday life) are no different from the same genres of other North Caucasian and European ethnic entities. Figuring in fairy tales are magic artefacts, people of paranormal abilities, fictitious animals (dragons, winged horses, etc) and travel to other worlds. A younger brother who proves more intelligent, highminded and courageous than his elder brothers is their frequent protagonist. The cunning fox, the greedy wolf and the stupid bear are often protagonists of animal tales — just as in Russian and many other folk tales. Anti-clerical and anti-feudal motifs dominate tales of everyday life, with their hypocritical mullahs, evil stepmothers and perfidious lords. Chechen lore also knows Mullah Nasreddin, so characteristic of the folklore of other Muslim peoples. Good always triumphs over evil both in fairy tales and tales of everyday life, and their protagonist is always the winner in whatever predicament, because the didactic has always been essential in folklore on a par with the aesthetic. Chechen folk song heritage is rich and versatile. Ritual songs include magical—in particular, rain and other incantations; ceremonial: wedding songs, lamentations (belkham, sung by professional wailers, and tiizhar, sung by bereaved friends and relatives). Wailers were hired in Chechnya, as in the neighbouring areas, up to the middle of the 19 th century. Their The syarmak mythical dragon. 47
Page 1 and 2: THE DIVERSITY OF THE CHECHEN CULTUR
Page 3 and 4: Lecha Ilyasov The Diversity of the
Page 5 and 6: Museums 162 Mediaeval Chechen Archi
Page 7 and 8: nations, especially in a multi-ethn
Page 9 and 10: 10 Several archaeological cultures
Page 12 and 13: Khurrites, who migrated from the No
Page 14 and 15: Asia up to Syria and Palestine, and
Page 16 and 17: had disintegrated by the start of t
Page 18: Archaeological finds show the high
Page 21 and 22: 22 funeral rites, with crouching dy
Page 23 and 24: 24 The village of Gimroi in the mou
Page 25 and 26: 26 Extant burial monuments belonged
Page 27 and 28: 28 where stone houses were built ev
Page 29 and 30: 30 population of the Koban burial g
Page 31 and 32: 32 A major political alliance of an
Page 33 and 34: 34 Anania Shirakatsi’s Geography
Page 35 and 36: 36 impact of the North Caucasian cu
Page 37 and 38: 38 especial cruelty toward the popu
Page 39 and 40: PART II Intangible Cultural Heritag
Page 41 and 42: pictorial arts was eradicated merci
Page 43: varieties of cyclopean and non-cycl
Page 47 and 48: elkham praised the deceased for the
Page 49 and 50: prominent role of stone in everyday
Page 51 and 52: the human or animal form to interfe
Page 53 and 54: came to their land in the Early Mid
Page 55: The mosque of Nikaroi. 57
Page 59: are represented side by side with c
Page 62 and 63: 64 According to Zura Madayeva’s f
Page 64 and 65: 66 personal emotional experience, t
Page 66 and 67: 68 ETHICS The Chechen ethical syste
Page 68 and 69: 70 The junzi is true to the golden
Page 70 and 71: 72 political advance 117 . The ethi
Page 72 and 73: 74 conduct and relations with his s
Page 74 and 75: 76 The Maistoin-Erk River
Page 76 and 77: 78 ethics. The ideal gentleman cert
Page 78 and 79: 80 The scholar considers the “inv
Page 80 and 81: 82 social and spiritual level one m
Page 82 and 83: 84 The combat tower of Shatoi. 14th
Page 84 and 85: 86 LITERATURE Written Chechen liter
Page 86 and 87: 88 linguist and educationalist Pyot
Page 88 and 89: 90 class struggle and collectivisat
Page 90 and 91: 92 The Coordination Council of the
Page 92 and 93: 94 The novel The Murid of the Revol
Page 94 and 95:
96 THEATRE The Chechen theatre has
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98 Guisers of the New Year and othe
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100 Fool — usually the host, the
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102
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104 The Khanpasha Nuradilov Chechen
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106 newly-cut gem to win a name for
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108 A scene from Alexander Ostrovsk
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110 MUSIC Music is one of the longe
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112
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114 The gradual sequential descendi
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116 became classics — suffice to
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118 Composer Adnan Shahbulatov and
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120 piano and the orchestra, Vainak
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122 DANCING Dancing is one of the o
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124
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126 The many genres of Chechen folk
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128
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130
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132 The Indian ritual dance The Gol
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134 The Vainakh folk song-and-dance
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136
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PART III Tangible Cultural Heritage
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Timofei Granovsky, surgeon Fefor In
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owed his prominence to the portrait
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dedicated to his roots. That is the
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people through all adversities. Man
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lines — all are saturated with th
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symbols. These bizarre shapes creat
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figurine, also unearthed in the set
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Maikop archaeological culture, whic
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North Caucasus from Transcaucasia 1
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Koban vessels are lavishly decorate
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Chechen clothiers were known throug
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The United Chechen State Museum, as
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were the following exhibits: Roubau
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Leo Tolstoy Literature and Ethnogra
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museum was established by the Cultu
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It has elaborated a general concept
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connected with the underworld cults
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ones. Builders knew how to daub the
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The perfection of primitive art mad
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finds because the original area of
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loftiest hut and dispenses upright
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the 1 st century B.C., according to
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stone walls, which were the only ma
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When the problem was studied more p
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information about the earlier Chech
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een mercilessly destroyed ever sinc
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The two lower stories were intended
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notched logs leaning on the edge. T
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are groundless. After sons and daug
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and with the appearance of a new cu
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There is a bed in it, huge chests o
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Dwelling and combat towers were fre
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Markovin 221 . He regarded them as
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massive timber beams projecting a s
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and wayfarers in case of sudden mil
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warnings of war danger. Timber towe
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Bashen-Kala and Nikhaloi towers), s
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tapering at a 4-6 angle. The Guchan
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Lake Galanchozh. 217
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tonnes — were brought to the site
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with flat roofs were, however, tall
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embrasures in the lower part of the
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stone slabs resting on two, three o
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was best suited for defence. Its he
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most probably built later than the
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stone blocks were used for the foun
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destroyed the remains of their stat
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Two combat towers have survived in
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The castle of Meshi. 237
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The system fully deserves its name
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A major part of the signal system h
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The villages of Melkhista connected
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no exaggeration to qualify as one o
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25. Белокуров С.А. Сн
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88. Заходер Б.Н. Касп
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152. Леонтович Ф.И. Ад
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220. Струве В.В. Истор
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273. ал-Истахри. Книг
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316. Габуев Т.А. Некот
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361. Кореневский С.Н.
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406. Попов И. Ичкерин
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Lecha Ilyasov is the Director of th
Page 262:
Ziya Bazhayev Charity Foundation Th
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