Bepieva, Naira I.
Kavkaz Forum. 2020. Issue 3.

Abstract:
The Nart Epic creates a mythological portrait of the Ossetian people. Its ethnic
specificities are so detailed in these tales, that they produce deep impression on
he readers. Here the whole history of one people is divided into cycles, starting
from their birth to their ending. Peculiar specific nuances are found both at the
beginning of Narts as well as their end. Everything around the Life of Narts is
enriched, diversified and filled with ethnically specific and typological nuances,
masterly woven into the daily life of Narts. Their lives are defined by many
notions: Kuvid – a special ritual; the moral and philosophical perception and
understanding of Aghdav; general unwritten laws of Nikhas; the nuances of
Khatan, Balts of hiking-robbing-travelling-hunting; Farn and its significance as
carriers of peace, good, abundance and all the best; the charm and volume of the
welcoming speech to the guest or host, and many others.
The Nart tales, whether prosaic or poetic, must be researched by taking into
account the quintessential interests of the society in which they were created. It is
quite hard identifying and connecting everything in terms of the modern public
life, but it is relevant to observe the main motivation, individual concepts and
phrases in their development, as it discloses the characteristics of the nation,
where they were created.
Various episodes, tales and separate concepts characteristic to the life of
Narts are studied in unity with the life in which the ancestors of the Ossetian
people live. It is here that their way of life, worldview, virtue, and values shrouded
in mythological cloth are visible.
The work considers some mythological episodes of the Nart Epic, as well as
customs, which were characteristic to the life of the ancestors of Ossetians, as well
as separate concepts preserved to the present day, which show not only inherent
typological nuances, but ethnic specificity as well.

Keywords: Narts, Tsartsiata, Folklore, Tales, Ossetian, Aghdav, Nikhas, Treasure, Farn, Specifics

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