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Home Editorial board Publication ethics Information Current Archive Rules for authors Contacts	THE IMAGE OF UASTYRDZHI AS A PHENOMENON OF INTERCULTURAL SYNTHESIS Ktsoeva, Sultana G. Kavkaz Forum. 2025. Issue 24. Abstract: This article provides the first analysis of the evolution of the external image and existential content of Uastyrdzhi, the most popular sacred figure in the Ossetian ethnoreligious pantheon, traditionally associated with the Christian saint and great martyr George in the context of world religions. The study of this metamorphosis, which is the goal of this research, is unthinkable outside the framework of the intercultural interactions that shaped this figure. The problem of Uastyrdzhi’s identification with pre-Christian Ossetian beliefs, Christianity, Islam, and even Zoroastrianism is examined. The differences in positions among leading Ossetian scholars regarding Uastyrdzhi’s historical essence are documented and analyzed. Particular attention is given to his external perception (on horseback/ off horseback), as well as the evolution of the ethical manifestation of his essence, which is recorded in the process of transition from the narrowly tribal nature of morality, typical of all peoples in the pre-Axial period, to a universal system of values. The relevance of this study stems from the growing interest in aspects of Ossetian ethnic religion, as well as the comparatively limited study of the specific external and internal content of the image and cult of Uastyrdzhi in modern Ossetian studies. The novelty of this study lies in the use of iconographic data to examine this specific issue, as well as in the comparative analysis of three legends, which led to the conclusion that the period when Uastyrdzhi became firmly associated with St. George in the popular consciousness coincided with the period in which the ethical metamorphosis of his essence was recorded. The methodological basis of the study, in addition to the principle of historicism, is based on the principles of C. Lévi-Strauss’s structural anthropology, methods of visual anthropology, historical psychology, and comparative studies. Keywords: Uastyrdzhi, St. George, Jarjis, intercultural synthesis, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Ossetian ethnic religion. Language: Russian Download the full text For citation: Ktsoeva, S.G. The Image of Uastyrdzhi as a Phenomenon of Intercultural Synthesis. KAVKAZ-FORUM. 2025, iss. 24 (31), pp. 186-200 (In Russian). + References 1. Salbiev, T.K. O chudesnom kone Uastyrdzhi (motiv «troichnosti») [About the wonderful horse Uastyrdzhi (the motif of «trinity»)]. Nartovedenie v XXI veke: sovremennye paradigmy i interpretatsii [Nartology in the 21st Century: Modern Paradigms and Interpretations]. Vladikavkaz, North Ossetian Institute for Humanitarian and Social Studies, 2015, vol. 3, pp. 124–141. 2. Miller, Vs.F. 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Izvestiya SOIGSI [Proceedings of the North Ossetian Institute for Humanitarian and Social Studies]. 2023, iss. 48 (87), pp. 71– 80. DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2023.87.48.002 13. Kardini, F. Istoki srednevekovogo rytsarstva [The origins of medieval chivalry]. St. Petersburg, Evraziya, 2001. 352 p. 14. Abaev, V.I. Istoriko-ehtimologicheskii slovar’ osetinskogo yazyka. V 4 t. [Historical and Etymological Dictionary of the Ossetian Language. In 4 volumes]. Leningrad, Nauka, 1989, vol. IV. 325 p. 15. Osetinskaya legenda «Svyatoi Georgii i tri bratA», zapisannaya E.Z. Baranovym [Ossetian legend «Saint George and the Three Brothers», recorded by E.Z. Baranov]. Periodicheskaya pechat’ Kavkaza ob Osetii i osetinakh. Tskhinvali, Ir, 1981, vol.1, pp. 248–258. 16. Said-afandi al’-Chirkavi. Kratkoe skazanie o proroke Dzhardzhise [A Brief Tale of the Prophet Jarjis]. Istoriya prorokov. V 2 t. [History of the Prophets. In 2 volumes]. Makhachkala, Nurul’ irshad, 2010, vol. I, pp. 33–45. ← Contents of issue


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