Tales of the Narts: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Ossetians
Russia

Tales of the Narts: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Ossetians

by John Colarusso

Myths and Retellings History Mythology 2016

Summary

The Nart sagas are among the great mythological traditions of the Caucasus, preserving the stories, beliefs, and cultural memory of the Ossetian people. In Tales of the Narts, scholars John Colarusso and Tamirlan Salbiev bring together a rich collection of legends featuring the Narts, a mythical race of formidable warriors whose world is filled with heroic feats, supernatural encounters, fierce rivalries, and complicated family relationships.

These stories introduce memorable heroes and heroines, powerful adversaries, giants, monsters, and ancient gods. Although the Narts are celebrated for their courage and strength, they are also capable of jealousy, cruelty, and destructive ambition. Their adventures explore honor, fate, loyalty, conflict, and the consequences of human choices. Rooted in centuries of oral storytelling, the collection offers a window into the cultural heritage of the North Caucasus while revealing intriguing parallels with Greek, Norse, and other ancient mythologies. It is an important introduction to a distinctive literary tradition that has shaped the region’s collective imagination.

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Country
Russia
Europe
About the author
John Colarusso
John Colarusso

John Colarusso is a linguist, anthropologist, and scholar of Caucasian languages and mythology. Born in California and raised in Mississippi and New Jersey, he studied physics and philosophy before earning a PhD in linguistics from Harvard University in 1975. He has taught at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, since 1976, where he became a professor emeritus of anthropology. Colarusso has devoted decades to studying the languages, folklore, and cultural history of the Caucasus, publishing extensively on comparative linguistics and mythology. His books include A Grammar of the Kabardian Language (1992), Myths from the Caucasus: The Nart Sagas of the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs (2002), and Tales of the Narts: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Ossetians (2016), which he co-edited with Tamirlan Salbiev and which was translated by Walter May. His scholarship has helped introduce the rich mythological traditions of the North Caucasus to a wider English-speaking audience.

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Published
2016
Author
John Colarusso