HEAVEN AND SYMBOLS OF THE HEAVENLY IN THE OSSETIAN ETHNORELIGIOUS TRADITION


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Home Editorial board Publication ethics Information Current Archive Rules for authors Contacts	HEAVEN AND SYMBOLS OF THE HEAVENLY IN THE OSSETIAN ETHNORELIGIOUS TRADITION Ktsoeva, Sultana G. Kavkaz Forum. 2026. Issue 26. Abstract: This article for the first time analyzes the complex of concepts of Heaven and celestial symbols in traditional Ossetian religious consciousness within the context of the comparative religious studies method introduced by M. Eliade. The relevance of this study stems from the complex, syncretic nature of Ossetian traditional beliefs, as well as the need to examine their influence on contemporary social and spiritual culture. The article examines the nature of Khutsau as the primary embodiment of the supreme celestial essence, as well as a number of celestial images (the image of a mountain, a ladder to Heaven, a rope dropped from Heaven, and the Axis Mundi/World Tree). In particular, it was established that the transformation of the image of Khutsau represents the evolution of the proto-monotheistic (Uranian) god of Heaven into an idle god (deous otiosus), which was accompanied by the formation of other gods with more specific functions, and then from an idle god into an active God of the Covenant (if we adhere to the point of view of his Abrahamic transformation) at a different stage of the historical development of society. At the same time, the perception of Khutsau by traditional folk religious consciousness reveals echoes of the Proto- Indo-European community, reflected, in particular, in the rite of dedication of the horse Bæhfaldisyn, apparently identical to the Hindu rite of horse sacrifice, Ashvamedha, described in the Rig Veda. The findings contribute to the study of comparative religions by incorporating Ossetian folklore and mythological material into this type of research, and expand the approach to the study of Ossetian ethnic religion. The research’s novelty lies in its comparative study of the evolution of ideas about celestial hierophanies at different stages (archaic, early, and developed civilization). Keywords: Heaven, Khutsau, image of a mountain, image of a ladder to Heaven, image of a rope dropped from Heaven, Axis Mundi/World Tree. Language: Russian Download the full text For citation: Ktsoeva, S.G. Heaven and symbols of the heavenly in the Ossetia ethnoreligious tradition. KAVKAZ-FORUM. 2026, iss. 26 (33), pp. 147-160. (In Russian). + References 1. Ktsoeva, S.G., Gutnov, F.Kh. 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