The legend about St. Khetage

The national holiday of St. Khetag is a holiday especially revered by Ossetians. It is celebrated on the second Sunday of July. The main place of the celebration is the Khetag grove, located in the Alagirsky district, 30 kilometers from Vladikavkaz. Tens of thousands of people will gather there from all over the republic to ask for happiness, peace and prosperity. According to legend, Khetag was a Christian, the son of a Kabardian prince, who refused to convert to Islam. Relatives were angry with him for this, and then he decided to hide in Ossetia.

On the way to the Kurtatinsky gorge, near the modern village of Suadag, Khetag began to overtake the pursuers. Then from the forest Khetag heard a call: “Khetag! In the forest! In the forest!". But the fugitive would not have had time to rush to the forest. And then Khetag said: “Let the forest come to Khetag.” A mass of forest surrounded Khetag. The pursuers turned back, as they could not find Khetag. He lived in the grove for about a year, after which he moved to the mountain village of Nar, where he gave rise to the famous family of Khetagurovs (Osset. Khetægkatæ).

Now, this is a holy place. People from all over North Ossetia come here to pray to the Almighty for help. They say that the prayers uttered in the holy Grove of Khetag-Khetaje Koh have a special power. It is believed that Khetag patronizes all people: even those who have committed crimes can pray in the grove. The main thing is not to harm her.

There are many taboos associated with this grove. One of the main ones is that nothing can be taken out of the grove. Until the forties of the last century, only men had access to it. But during the Great Patriotic War, women began to come there and pray for their warring sons, brothers and husbands.
In 1994, Khetag Day acquired the status of a national national holiday. It is celebrated not only by Ossetians, but also by many representatives of other nationalities who adhere to the Orthodox faith. Men to this day walk barefoot from the highway to the grove (1 km).

At first there were no buildings in the grove, then places for the "three pies" were built. Pies brought to the grove should be warm, because when they are cooked, good intentions seem to be absorbed by the food, and in warm pies, these intentions are believed to be preserved. At first, only pies without drinks were brought to the grove. Later it was allowed to bring milk and honey.

Today, the Khetag Grove does not have a state status. That is, it is not a monument of nature or culture - it is a national shrine. On the territory of the Grove, a kuvandon (Ossetian kuvændon) was built - a prayer house.

The sanctuary (dzuar) of Hyotag is a huge grove of various types of trees. This grove, called Khetaji koh (Khotaga bush), is located in an open field between the villages of Suadag and Nogpysylmon-kau on the right side of the Ardon River.

The appearance of this sanctuary can be attributed to the 16th century, the period of settlement in the Narskaya hollow (Central Ossetia) of the founder of a large related group of the Khetagurovs - Khetag, whose name is associated with the appearance of Khetaji koh.

There are several legends about the beginning of the worship of this grove.

According to one version of the legend, Khetag, being the son of the Kabardian prince Inal, fled to Ossetia, pursued by his brothers for some unknown reason. When he reached the valley of the modern village of Suadag, the enemies began to overtake him, and Khetag, having gathered the last of his strength, was preparing to repel the attack. At this time, he heard a voice calling him from the nearest forest: Khetag, into the forest, into the forest! However, the forest was still far away, and Khetag, seeing that he would not have time to reach him, asked the forest to come out to meet him. Suddenly, a huge area separated from the forest and hid Khetag from his pursuers. Since then, this forest bears his name and is considered sacred. No one had the right to cut trees in it, bear fruits and game killed in this forest, otherwise he was in big trouble - illness, blindness and even death. If anyone happened to kill an animal in this forest, he had to immediately gather all the inhabitants of his aul and, on the spot, eat this animal with the whole society, if it is edible, otherwise, leave it.

It is because of the fear of such a punishment that the wonderful forest reserve has survived to this day. Local residents have many legends about specific examples of illness and even death of people who violated these prohibitions in relation to Khetaji koh.

So, one of the inhabitants, who took a branch from the holy bush, was paralyzed. Only after a ram was sacrificed in honor of Saint Khetag did the poor man recover. Another, passing by the forest of Khetag, accidentally took a leaf of a tree, for which he was punished with a serious illness. The next day, his relatives, having prepared three ritual pies and araka (vodka), went to Khetag to worship with a request to forgive the patient. The latter recovered thanks to this.

Among the lowland Ossetians, Khetag was one of the most popular saints associated with the agrarian cult. As a deity of a strong family, he was revered by members of other, weaker families living in the same rural community. Saint Khetag, the mythical ancestor and patron of the Khetagur family, first became the patron of the entire Nara, and then of the inhabitants of other surrounding villages.

His feast was celebrated on July 15, before the start of the harvest. It was a great national celebration. In this laziness, many male pilgrims flocked to the holy bush from all the surrounding villages. It was only during the Great Patriotic War that women began to come here, although this, according to the religious concepts of the Ossetians, was a great violation of tradition, since women never entered the territory of the sanctuaries dedicated to the gods of men. The sanctuary of Khetag also bears the name of Kheta-ji Uastyrlzhi - St. George Khetag.

At such large sanctuaries as Khetag, the residents of each village had their own premises or outdoor areas for lodging and eating. They were located in communities. The inhabitants of each village, sitting here separately, feasted, arranged dances, horse races and other sports games. Researchers believe that this sacred bush was a place of worship for the former inhabitants of these places - the Kabardians, from whom he passed to the Ossetians after they settled in the foothills. Needing a new place in their patron, they connected his origin with the legend of Khetag, which reflects the Ossetian-Kabardian relations of the post-Mongolian period.

O volume, how legend about holy Khetage tied up Ossetian and Circassians

Every year on the second Sunday of July, in the vicinity of the Khetag grove (Ossetian - Hetædzhi koh), the inhabitants of North and South Ossetia celebrate the sacred day of Khetag. This grove, revered by Ossetians as a holy place, is located in the Alagir district of North Ossetia near the Vladikavkaz-Alagir highway. It is almost perfectly round in shape and covers an area of ​​about 13 hectares (island relict forest).

I, like many of my compatriots from North Ossetia, have always been excited about this holiday with its unusualness and solemnity. Many may not have thought about the deep meaning of this event.

In my opinion, this most massive, truly popular holiday is a symbol of the Ossetian ancestors' voluntary choice of world Christian teaching! Confidence in this truth, as well as the currently unfounded pagan interpretation of this holiday, became the root cause of this study.

The purpose of this article is, on the basis of available historical information, to try to substantiate one of the most probable versions about the origin of the personality of Saint Khetag (Khetaedzhi Uastirdzhi).

So, let's start with the main thing. I have long been interested in the unusual sound of the name Khetag. Any historian is familiar with the names of the Hittite and Hattite tribes. But a historian speaking the Ossetian language will have an order of magnitude more interested in the name of St. Khetag when he hears in it the ending that is usually used in words when designating a nation, i.e. when specifying which nation a person belongs to.

For example, Ossetians have a representative of Chechnya - for Ossetians. lang. "Sasan" (Chechnya) - they call it "sasaynag" (Chechen), "Urysh" (Rus) - "uryshag" (Russian), etc.

According to the same principle, taking into account the ending “ag”, the Ossetian name Khetag is perceived: Khetta (Khety) - Het-tag (khet), i.e. a person of Khet nationality, from the Hittite tribe.

But is there any sense in the national identification of the name of St. Khetag in our case with the tribe of the Hittites (or Khats)? What will change in principle in case of such confirmation?

You have no idea how many! Firstly, having proved this fact, we can be sure that this is the first step towards explaining what event actually preceded the appearance of Khetag on the land of the ancestors of the Ossetians, why it excited them so much, which caused such a lasting memory! Or, for example, why the name Khetag is common only in Ossetia, or why the legends about this saint differ. And most importantly, who really was Khetag, and how the grove of St. Khetag acquired a religious color, and in what real historical period it happened.

In my opinion (and it is hard to disagree with this), the modern legend about Khetag is not very convincing in historical terms and leaves many questions. And this is not surprising.

Legends are legends. But they, like legends (for example, Nart ones), are different - more or less true. In our case, at least a real-life religion and real peoples are called here - Ossetians (Alans) and Kabardians or Circassians (Kashags - Ossetian language).

So, let's try to figure out for the time being what is of interest to us in the legend about Khetag that exists today.

Ossetian legend says that in ancient times Alans settled in groups on the territory of modern Kabarda and the Kuban. On the banks of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, a tributary of the Kuban, lived Prince Inal (according to one version, a Kabardian, according to another, an Alan). He had three sons: Beslan, Aslanbeg and Khetag. Ossetian legend considers Beslan the founder of the dynasty of Kabardian princes. Aslanbeg had no children. As for Khetag, when the positions of Islam strengthened in Kabarda, when the ancient Christian church of the Zelenchuk district went into the lake after a landslide, and then Khetag kept his faith. For this, even his relatives turned away from him, they no longer considered him theirs. And then he went to Ossetia. The enemies decided to overtake him on the road and kill him because he did not want to accept their faith. (According to another current version, Khetag fled to Ossetia with a stolen bride). Khetag was on his way to the Kurtatinsky gorge, when not far from the place where the village of Suadag is now located, the enemies caught up with him. From the forest covering the slopes of the nearby mountains, Khetag heard a cry: “Khetag! In the forest! In the forest!" And Khetag, overtaken by enemies, answered his well-wisher: “Khetag will no longer reach the forest, but the forest will reach Khetag!” And then a mass of forest rose from the slope of the mountain and moved to the place where Khetag was, hiding it in its thicket. (According to another version, Khetag first prayed to St. George, in another case, to Jesus Christ or the Most High, and then a miracle happened, and the forest came down from the mountains). The pursuers, frightened by such miracles, rushed to run. This is how the grove of Khetag or the Sanctuary of the Round Forest (Tymbylkhaedy dzuar) appeared. And on the side of the mountain, from where the forest rose, only grass grows to this day. Khetag lived in the grove for about a year, and then moved to the village of Nar, located not far from this place. And the grove has become one of the main holy places in Ossetia. Ossetians on this holiday now pray like this: “May Saint George (or the Almighty) help us, as he helped Khetag!”

This legend was studied by the founder of Ossetian literature, Kosta Khetagurov. He considered himself living in the 10th generation from the ancestor of the surname of St. Khetag.

And here are excerpts from an ethnographic essay by K.L. Khetagurov “The Person” (1894): “Khetag himself, according to his descendants, was the youngest son of Prince Inal, who lived beyond the Kuban, on the latter’s tributary, the Bolshoi Zelenchuk. Having converted to Christianity, Khetag fled from the persecution of his brothers to mountainous Ossetia. The elder brother of Khetag Biaslan is considered the ancestor of the Kabardian princes, and the second, Aslanbeg, remained childless. The place of the original stay of Khetag in present-day Ossetia is still considered a shrine. This is a completely isolated, magnificent grove with centuries-old giants in the Kurtatinsky valley. This "booth of Khetag", as the folk legend says, at the call of Khetag stood out from the forest and sheltered him from the persecution of a gang of Kabardian robbers. Despite, however, such a legendary personality of Khetag, his descendants list by name all the members of the generations coming from him. For example, I am one of the numerous members of the tenth generation and can list my ancestors: 1. Khetag. 2. George (only son). 3. Mami and his brother. 4. Guoqi and his three brothers. 5. Zida (Sida) and his two brothers. 6. Amran and his four brothers. 7. Asa and his brother. 8. Elizbar and his three brothers. 9. Leuan (my father) and brother.

Khetag, they say, entered the Nar basin through the Kurtatinsky pass, since the other way along the Alagir-Kasar gorge was less accessible due to both natural and artificial barriers. This is also indicated by the fact that the Ossetians of the Kurtatinsky gorge especially sacredly honor the memory of Khetag. In the Nar basin, even now in the village of Slas, they point to the buildings erected by Khetag. They also point to the place where Khetag killed the deer - this is the foot of the rock on which the village of Nar is now built. Here they also point to a building erected by Khetag, where he settled. There is no hint in the legends that Khetag was distinguished by military prowess or participated in campaigns and battles. On the contrary, he was famous for his gentleness. Once, in exchange for three slaves sold by him in Tiflis, Khetag received, in addition to payment, the following advice: “When you get angry, hold your right hand with your left hand.” This instruction saved the life of his son, who had grown so much during his absence that Khetag, upon returning home at night, finding him sleeping in the same bed with his mother, wanted to stab him, but, remembering the advice, he put the weapon at the head of the sleeping ones, and went out all night spent on the banks of the river. In the morning everything was cleared up to the general happiness.

The participation of Nar Ossetians in the ranks of the Georgian troops for hire or as volunteers dates back to the time of Khetag’s great-grandson, Gotsi, who, being small in stature, defeated the Persian giant in single combat and received from the Georgian king a silver bowl with a corresponding inscription and a letter. The cup is intact and still passes by inheritance from father to eldest son. Of the letters of the Georgian kings that survived in the Khetagurov family, the earliest one was granted by the Kartalian king Archil (1730-1736) “as a sign of our mercy to the Nar nobleman Khetagur-Zidakhan” (Zida)”.

This attempt to study the legend of Khetag was not the last.

Already at the end of his life, while working on his historical poem "Khetag", the poet Kosta Khetagurov showed himself as a searching ethnographer, scrupulously collecting and checking every plot from the genealogy of his family. Interestingly, even then he put forward a hypothesis according to which the legendary Khetag came from the military aristocracy of the Kuban Alans of the 14th century. In the poem, the poet shows the heroic struggle of the Caucasian peoples against the Mongol-Tatar invaders. Khetag's elder brother Biaslan (in the poem - Byaslan) was considered the ancestor of the Kabardian princes who converted to Islam. Therefore, the work is based on a deep religious-personal conflict.

In the preface to the poem "Khetag" Costa addresses the reader:

I myself am from his descendants and, like a goose,

Only suitable for hot, often,

When meeting with other "geese", I boast

illustrious name of an ancestor.

Tradition I drew from a thousand mouths,

And the monument is still intact today:

Sacred grove or "Khetag bush"

It stands in the Kurtatinsky valley.

Haven't touched an ax yet

His long-lived pets;

In it, a strange wanderer lowers his gaze,

Obedient to the custom of the highlanders.

In the poem, the author tells about the following. Having defeated the army of Mamai, the Alans return home with rich booty. They are already waiting for the old princes Inal and Soltan, the elders at the solemn feast. Countless toasts are raised in honor of the brave warriors, and especially for Khetag, the most valiant hero. But he does not take part in the general fun, sitting in deep sadness. Soltan calls him to her, makes a speech in his honor and invites him to marry any of his beautiful daughters. Khetag would have desired the hand of the eldest daughter, but according to custom, her consent is required. Left alone with the elders, she admits that she loves Khetag, but is unable to marry him - he changed his "father's religion", having visited the Crimea and converted to Christianity there. The guests are confused, but Inal and Soltan make a decision - the young people themselves must make a choice - "after all, they do not run from happiness." The feast ends, and the grateful guests go home. At this point the poem was interrupted. (The following further development of events is possible: Khetag steals his bride and runs away with her to mountainous Ossetia. On the way, when they were almost overtaken by the chase, the miracle described in the legend happens: the forest came down from the mountains at the call of Khetag, and the fugitives hid from their pursuers. - Auth. A.S. Kotsoev).

Yes, a wonderful poem, an interesting plot! Thank you for this classic. Unfortunately, the poem was not finished. According to the official version, the cause was Costa's disease. But is it really so? It is known that the poet began work on it as early as 1897, but, oddly enough, he did not finish it, although he lived for another nine years.

I think Costa felt that there was something wrong with the existing legend of Khetag. There is no feat for the sake of faith in God or such a grandiose event that could so excite our ancestors. The existing variants of events could not impress the people so much that this legend was transmitted by many, many generations.

And therefore, perhaps, here Costa has an ellipsis instead of a dot ...

In his poem and ethnographic essay “The Person”, Kosta Khetagurov admits that he is not sure of the authenticity of the legend, and also does not know the exact time of the event that became the basis for it.

"It's hard to tell me how long ago, whether recently

It was all that: the days past are dark,

Costa writes in a poem. It is clear that the poet does not claim to be historic in his work. And this is understandable. In contrast to the modern possibilities of historical science, in Costa's time there was hardly an opportunity for serious historical research, especially for a persecuted poet. Yes, and he did not have such a task, although, of course, purely humanly, as a true Christian, he was interested in the origins of the legend of Khetag. By the way, the version about the Kabardian origin of his family also has no basis. Costa himself questioned her. Here is what he wrote about this in “Osoba”: “What is the truth in this whole legendary story, I don’t presume to judge, but I think that the Ossetians at the time of their power would hardly have allowed any Persian or Kabardian to control themselves. And in the mountains, during the subsequent desperate struggle for existence, it was too crowded for some fugitive from beyond the Kuban to take the best point and grow into a generation that gives the tone to the indigenous population.

This is a good place to think! Agree, in ancient times, as well as in our time, few people could be surprised by fleeing with a chase or stealing a bride. These phenomena in the Caucasus were so commonplace that some of them became part of the customs of the highlanders. Or else. Events associated with natural phenomena, for example, such cataclysms as a landslide (in our case, a forest area), are, of course, amazing in themselves. But are they really that important in terms of human memory? Say, according to scientists, the Kolka glacier comes down every 100 years. However, a couple of decades passed, and people forgot about this rather tragic event with numerous human casualties, as if nothing had happened. Why do events about anomalous natural phenomena not remain in human memory? - you ask. Because it is not nature that glorifies man, but man praises nature. The human factor is important. Therefore, when studying the existing legend, one must look for an outstanding person here, perhaps even possessing divine power, who managed to conquer the imagination of the people. So, it's all about the personality of Khetag himself. I would suggest that it is at least equal to the image of the holy great martyr. Then everything becomes clearer in terms of the historicity of the legend.

It is believed that this is the oldest sanctuary on the plain, revered by the Ossetians. At the beginning of the 20th century, the priest Moses Kotsoev wrote: “They say that before the resettlement of the Ossetians from the mountains, the Khetag grove was revered as a saint even by the Kabardians. The Kabardians, on the other hand, learned about the sanctity of the bush from unusual phenomena allegedly noticed by their ancestors. So, for example, they say that in the time of their ancestors, almost every night they noticed the heavenly light, which became like a pillar of fire between Khetag and the sky. This was explained by the fact that the patron saint of this grove and Khetag himself was St. George descended from heaven into this grove. Therefore, Ossetians pray here, saying “Khetaji Uastyrdzhi, help us” (9, 1990, No. 21, p. 390).

Before starting a more detailed study of the issue, I would like to give one very interesting thought of our famous countryman. IN AND. Abaev, the most famous linguist, sees in the folk epic (also in legends and folk traditions - A.K.) an open system that is capable of “adaptation and absorption of elements of that historical reality in which it exists at the moment. The names of ancient mythical heroes can be replaced by the names of real historical figures, mythical toponyms and ethnonyms can be replaced by real ones. Moreover, whole events of the real historical life of the people can be, in the ideological and aesthetic interpretation characteristic of this epic, “built into” the structure of the epic without violating its integrity” (Abaev V.I., 1990, p. 213).

What could actually happen here? What secret does the Khetag grove keep? Let's try to analyze those events that one way or another could be related to it. I have chosen the order of research, which is based on the following logical conclusions:

a) it is undeniable that the information about the Holy Khetag is directly or indirectly connected and came with the Circassians or Kabardians (Kashag-Oset.yaz) or their ancestors;

b) since the name Khetag (Khett-ag) contains a sign of his Hittite nationality, it is indisputable that he was a descendant of the Hittites (Khats) or who spoke the Hittite (Khat) language or came from the territory once occupied by the Hittites (Khats);

c) it is undeniable that Khetag was not only an outstanding personality, but also at least a famous Christian saint who either himself visited the territory of present-day Ossetia, or his exploits were told to the ancestors of the Ossetians;

d) therefore, the most acceptable prototype of Khetag should be considered the person who most of all absorbs the three previous features.

First, since in the legend Khetag personifies Christianity, we should determine which famous Christian preachers could have visited the land of the ancestors of the Ossetians.

Secondly, since my main motive for research was the Hittite version of the origin of the protagonist of the legend, each proposed candidate will be examined for her nationality and place of birth.

But first, a little about the Hittites and the Khats. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that modern historians in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia have recently defended the genetic connection of Kabardians, Circassians (or Adyghes) with the Hittites and Khats that existed in the 3 -2 millennium BC . Their place of residence is the territory of modern Turkey, or rather Anatolia. Actually, the Hittites themselves were not their direct ancestors, but indirectly through the Hutts, who were conquered and partially assimilated by them, the Circassians have a kinship with them. And even more - the current language of the Adygs and, consequently, the Kabardians, Circassians, Adyghes, Abazins and Abkhazians, according to linguists, originated from the Khat language. The language of the natives of Anatolia is named in the Hittite sources of the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. Hattian.

Here a natural question arises: are not the times too distant in relation to the topic of our study?

The answer is no, and here's why. It is also known that Ossetians currently call Kabardians and Adyghes "Kashag". And kashags (or kashki), among other city-states, were part of the Hattian state of the 2 -3 millennium BC. and the same tribe.

The Hittites, and, accordingly, the Hattians and Kashki subject to them in 1200 BC. were first conquered by the Cimmerians and Persians. Later this territory was occupied by the Greeks, Romans, then Byzantines and Turks. Subsequently, the Kashags (or Kasogs), the closest relatives of the Hattians and Hittites, appear in Arabic and Russian written sources describing the times from the 4th to the 12th centuries AD, with their place of residence within the eastern part of the Black Sea region and the coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. The identity of the ancient kashki and medieval kasogs on the basis of archaeological data and written sources is proved in the works of Caucasian historians. If this is so, then, perhaps, the Ossetians and their ancestors Alans and Scythians retained the genetic memory not only of the proto-Adyghe Kashks, but also of the Hittites and Khats. By the way, "Hatti" can be translated into Ossetian literally as "khætag" - a nomad. Absolutely undeniable, in my opinion, the correspondence in the Ossetian language to the name "Hatty" is the word "khatiag" (ævzag) - folklore: an unknown language (which only the elite knew).

There is a similar sound and the name "Hitt". It is perceived in Ossetian as “hetun” - to suffer, suffer, worry, be lonely.

It is known that the mythology of the Hattites had a significant impact on the Hittite culture. Apparently, one of the main Hattian gods was the God of the Sun Estan (Istanus). It is interesting that modern Ossetians (Iron and Digor languages) also have this term, especially in oaths. For example - "au-ishtæn" - I swear (Osset.). Or "zæhkh-ard-ishtæn" - I swear by the earth. Or "Khuytsau-ishtaen" - I swear to God. By the way, among modern Hungarians even today the name of God sounds in Hungarian as "Istan". Interestingly, the name "Kasku" in the Hattian language meant the name of the god of the moon, and the god of blacksmithing among the Circassians is listed as "Tlepsh", which corresponds to the Hittite mythology, where he is known as "Telepinus".

There is another opinion. So the famous historian I.M. Dyakonov suggested that the name of the Kasogs goes back to the name of the Kaska people (nationality), apparently also of Abkhaz-Adyghe origin, in the 2nd millennium BC. e. who lived in the same region as the modern Abkhazians, who raided the Hittite kingdom (northern Asia Minor). So, now we should choose the most acceptable candidates that correspond to the criteria described above. As a result of a careful study of information about the most famous Christian preachers, I have identified two legendary historical figures.

Few people know that the very first Christian missionary who visited the Caucasus was the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

According to the Evangelist Mark, Saint Andrew was one of the four disciples of Jesus, to whom He revealed the fate of the world on the Mount of Olives (Mark 13:3). Saint Andrew is called first-called because he was called the first of the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. Until the last day of the Savior's earthly journey, his First-Called Apostle followed him. After the death of the Lord on the Cross, Saint Andrew became a witness to the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. On the day of Pentecost (that is, fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus) in Jerusalem, there was a miracle of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of fiery tongues on the apostles. Thus, inspired by the Spirit of God, the apostles received the gift of healing, prophesying, and the ability to speak in different tongues about the great deeds of the Lord. The most significant for our topic is the message of the author of the beginning of the 9th century. Epiphanius of Cyprus that Simon and Andrei went to Silania (Albania) and to the city of Fusta. Having converted many there to Christianity, they visited Augasia and Sevastopol (Sukhumi). Andrew, leaving Simon there, “went to Zikhia (Kasogiya). Zikhs are a cruel and barbarous people, and until now (that is, until the beginning of the 9th century) they are half unbelieving. They wanted to kill Andrey, but, seeing his poverty, meekness and asceticism, they left their intentions, ”Andrey left them for Sugdeya (Sudak, Crimea).

According to sources, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called preached Christianity among the Alans, Abazgs and Zikhs. The most ancient testimonies about the preaching of the holy Apostle Andrew date back to the beginning of the 3rd century. One of them belongs to Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Portusaine (c. 222), who, in his short work on the twelve apostles, says the following about the holy Apostle Andrew: “Andrew, after preaching to the Scythians and Thracians, suffered death on the cross in Patras being crucified on an olive tree, where he was buried. The fact of the crucifixion on a tree is not accidental, because. pagan druids knew about the destruction of sacred groves by Christians.

Now it is important to compare the genealogy of the Apostle Andrew.

As we know, the Apostle Andrew was born and raised in Galilee, where different peoples lived. Including the Hittites.

The Hittites are one of the peoples of ancient Palestine (see), the descendants of Het and the heirs of the ancient Hittite empire in the center of present-day Asia Minor, a people that the Israelites could not completely expel (Josh 3.10; Judgment 3.5). Their remnants lived in the Hebron region, and also, apparently, in the neighborhood of Israel as an independent kingdom (1 Kings 10.29; 2 Kings 7.6). The Hittites were among the warriors of David (Ahimelech - 1 Kings 26.6; Uriah - 2 Kings 11.3), and the Hittites were among the wives of Solomon (1 Kings 11.1). For mixing the Israelites with the local peoples, the prophet Ezekiel calls them, as it were, descended from the Amorites and the Hittites (Ezek 16:3,45). One should also take into account a fragment from Jos.N. 1:2-4, where Yahweh says to Joshua: “... Arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, the sons of Israel. ... from the desert and this Lebanon to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites; and as far as the great sea in the setting of the sun your limits shall be.” In conclusion, I cannot help but cite one more purely speculative hypothesis, namely: the inhabitants of a vast territory that included Palestine could once speak the “Hattian” language, and the Old Testament “Hittites” could represent the remnant of this great people, preserved in isolation in mountains of Judea after Northern Palestine and Syria at the end of the III millennium BC. e. inhabited by Semitic and Hurrian tribes.

When analyzing the above information, there is no complete certainty that the Apostle Andrew could have had a second version of the name in the Caucasus on a national basis without mentioning his apostolic name. Too prominent a figure to be missed. Although, of course, there were no authorities for the pagans, and this is proved by his unsuccessful campaign in Zikhia or Kasogiya. It is strange, however, that there is nothing left in the memory of the peoples living on the territory of ancient Alanya, in which the Apostle preached. Although in the ancient written sources about the deeds and exploits of the Apostle Andrew in the Caucasus, they are presented in a fairly significant amount.

And yet the most significant figure, surprisingly, was the personality of St. George himself, whose name is still glorified by Ossetians in the hollows of the holy grove of Khetag!

At the first contact with this legendary hero, the story of his second name in his historical homeland was revealed. St. George of Cappadocia, as he remained in his memory, was born exactly from the place where the historical homeland of the Hittites and Hattians is located, i.e. on the territory of modern Turkey in Anatolia. This means that he probably knew the Khat language and could position himself as a Hittite or a Hatt. In addition to Khat, the language that was familiar to the Kasogs, the “eternal” neighbors of the Alans, he could speak the Hittite Indo-European, Iranian group language, which the ancestors of the Ossetians could well know. In addition, it is possible that, being in the service of the Romans, he could have ended up with the Alans allied to the Romans or with the closest neighbors of the Romans, the ancestors of the Abkhazians and Adygs - Zikhs, who, as we know, were also allies of the Byzantines. Even if the version of the possible presence of St. George the Victorious in Alanya is controversial, there is a true story associated with the spread among the Alans of information about the great martyrdom of St. George from his own niece St. Nina at the beginning of the 4th century AD. Georgian and other written sources testify to this for certain. So, in the study by Z. Chichinadze (“History of Ossetians according to Georgian sources”, Tbilisi, 1915), an explanation is given to the portrait of St. Nina: “St. Nina is Roman. During her stay in Mtskheta, she met Ossetia. Then she went to Tush-Pshav-Khevsureti, and from there - back to Ossetia and preached the teachings of Christ among the Ossetians.

Today, the image of St. George (Uastyrdzhi) is so revered in Ossetia that legends are made about him. There are about ten holidays in his honor alone, which are celebrated in November, October, July and June every year. It is unlikely that this can still take place in the world. And this is not to mention the numerous holy places in the mountain gorges of Ossetia, dedicated to his name.

Thus, I dare to assume that St. George is Khetag itself! And therefore he is honored in Ossetia and addressed to him as "Khetaji Uastyrdzhi", i.e. Saint Gergius Hettag. The name itself suggests an analogy for adding the name in Ossetian: “Uas-dar-ji” - Was daræg Jo (Holy holder of Jo) and “Hetta-ji” (Jo of the Hittites), that is, George from the area where the Hittites lived. And the story about which the Ossetian legend tells, connected with the grove of Khetag, may have appeared later. This could happen for various reasons: either St. George himself ended up in this holy grove, or in memory of him, in this amazingly beautiful grove, the ancestors of the Ossetians chose a place to worship Uastirdzhi. Be that as it may, but the legend of Khetag originated in the folk memory of the Ossetians as a symbol of the Christian faith, and this should be taken into account!

By the way, sacred groves exist and are also revered in Abkhazia. For example, Vereshchagin, on his journey along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in 1870, observed many sacred groves, usually near abandoned Ubykh auls in the valleys of the Shakhe, Buu, and other rivers. fir trees, around which there were stone monuments and tomb pavilions of an ancient cemetery. Under the canopy of these fir trees, on May 21 (June 2), 1864, the governor of the Caucasus received a parade of Russian troops and a solemn prayer service was performed on the occasion of the end of the Caucasian War. There is evidence that the Black Sea Shapsugs, who lived between the basins of the Tuapse and Shakhe rivers, revered the Khan-Kuliy tract as a sacred place, where they performed divine services. In the middle of the grove was a grave with a monument; in it, according to legend, a man was buried who did a lot of good to his neighbors, was known among the people for his courage, intelligence and, having lived to a ripe old age, was killed by thunder, which, according to the Circassians, was a divine indulgence.

Therefore, it is possible that the Circassians could somehow be involved in the creation of the legend associated with the Khetag grove, among which, by the way, there are Christians to this day (a small, compactly living group in the Mozdok region in North Ossetia). It should be added here that the majority of Abkhazians, who are ethnic relatives of the Adygs, are Christians.

And now, in confirmation of the above, I will give the following data.

Saint George the Victorious (Cappadocia)(Greek Άγιος Γεώργιος) is a Christian saint, great martyr, the most revered saint of this name. It suffered during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. After eight days of severe torment, in 303 (304) he was beheaded. According to his life, Saint George was born in the 3rd century in Cappadocia into a Christian family (option - he was born in Lydda - Palestine, and grew up in Cappadocia; or vice versa - his father was tortured for confessing Christ in Cappadocia, and his mother and son fled to Palestine) . Entering military service, he, distinguished by intelligence, courage and physical strength, became one of the commanders and favorite of Emperor Diocletian. His mother passed away when he was 20 and he received a rich inheritance. George went to the court, hoping to achieve a high position, but when the persecution of Christians began, he, while in Nicomedia, distributed property to the poor and declared himself a Christian before the emperor. He was arrested and tortured.

1. On the 1st day, when they began to push him into the dungeon with stakes, one of them broke miraculously, like a straw. Then he was tied to poles, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest.

2. The next day he was tortured with a wheel studded with knives and swords. Diocletian considered him dead, but suddenly an angel appeared, and George greeted him, as the soldiers did. Then the emperor realized that the martyr was still alive. They took him off the wheel and saw that all his wounds were healed. (In the Ossetian Nart Tales, one of its main characters, Nart Soslan, was subjected to a similar martyrdom. (A.K. note))

3. Then they threw him into a pit where there was quicklime, but this did not harm the saint either.

4. A day later, the bones of his arms and legs were broken, but in the morning they again became whole.

5. He was forced to run in red-hot iron boots (option - with sharp nails inside). All the next night he prayed, and in the morning he again appeared before the emperor.

6. He was beaten with whips (ox sinews) so that the skin peeled off his back, but he rose healed.

7. On the 7th day he was forced to drink two bowls of drugs, from one of which he was supposed to lose his mind, and from the second - to die. But they didn't hurt him either. Then he performed several miracles (he resurrected the dead and revived the fallen ox), which led many to convert to Christianity.

8. Cappadocia is a geographically ill-defined region in central Turkey. The area is formed by small plateaus at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level. The Assyrians called this land Katpatuka, and it received its modern name in ancient times. This area is bounded by mountains Erciyes (Erciyes Dag, 3916 m) and Hasan (Hasan Dag, 3253 m).

For many centuries, people rushed to Asia Minor, and from there they scattered around the world. European and Asian conquerors crossed this land from end to end, leaving behind unique cultural monuments, many of which have survived to this day. True, often only in the form of ruins. But the latter are also able to speak and tell a little, for example, about an ancient powerful state on the territory of modern Cappadocia - the kingdom of the Hittites. In the XVII century BC. e. its ruler Hattusili I made the city of Hattushash his capital, which his descendants decorated with temples and the rock sanctuary of Yazilikaya. The state of pastoralists, scribes and soldiers existed for about a thousand years. For six centuries the war chariots of the Hittites terrified the peoples of Asia Minor. Their rapid run was barely able to stop Babylon and Ancient Egypt. But kingdoms are not eternal. Around 1200 BC e. the Hittite empire fell under the onslaught of the "sea peoples" and the Phrygians. And Hattushash died in the fire, leaving us only the ruins of the Cyclopean walls and a priceless collection of cuneiform writing.

The Persian era that came to replace them, stretching until the invasion of Alexander the Great in 336 BC. e., is also not rich in historical monuments. The Persians are better known for their destruction than their construction. Although in Cappadocia, where the nobility settled, their culture lasted several centuries longer than in the rest of ancient Anatolia. And, by the way, the very name of Cappadocia goes back to the Persian “katpatuka”, which means “country of beautiful horses”. Cappadocia as a “country of churches”, as the spiritual center of all Anatolia, existed until the 11th century AD.

At the end of his research, he could not resist the temptation to ask himself the question: does this mean that our illustrious poet, singer of the Caucasus, Kosta Khetagurov, was a descendant of St. George? Remember the holiness of Costa and his love of Christ! Isn't it genetic memory? I would not rule out such a version!

Artur KOTSOYEV, historian, ch. editor of the newspaper "Peoples of the Caucasus"

- What, in your opinion, is especially noteworthy for this cult, what determines its special place in the folk calendar rituals, what arouses the interest of researchers?

- It is obvious that it is interesting from various points of view, of which today I would especially single out the socio-political one. In the light of recent events, his special position in the Ossetian calendar rituals should be directly related to the fact that after the election of the head of the republic by the deputies of the local parliament, he went to the Khetag grove to take part in the ritual prayer along with other pilgrims. I will hardly be mistaken if I say that this should be seen as one of the ways to gain the necessary legitimacy for the holder of the supreme power.

In any established society, its supreme power cannot be outside the moral field, outside the ideas of social justice, without taking into account human conscience. Thus, the main question is why this role of gaining legitimacy was given to the grove of Khetag and, ultimately, to the cult that underlies this holy place.

– Maybe the point is that the very content of the historical legends about Khetag includes the struggle for supreme power, isn't it?

- Quite right. In fact, the very content of the legends about Khetag is built around the struggle of two older brothers, united against the younger, for the possession of their father's heritage. It is also worth mentioning that, according to one of the points of view, the name of their father - Anal (Inaluk) - is derived from the image of the historical governor (tudun) of the ruler of the Khazar Khaganate. In the Turkic languages, this name means "noble person, king, khan." One version of the origin of the name Khetag also comes from the fact that it indicated the high social status of its bearer. It is also noteworthy that this key motive for the legends of the struggle of the brothers among themselves was described in a religious key, so that in the end it acquired a moral character, was correlated with the representation of social justice, the personal conscience of its participants. Let me remind you that according to oral tradition, the conflict between the youngest son of the Kabardian prince Inal and his older brothers is based on the motive of confessional choice, spiritual self-determination. However, we must now move on to the amazing historical dynamics of this cult.

Initially, it was only about a certain local cult, although it was known throughout Ossetia. Thus, over time, from the local cult of the direct descendants of Khetag, he was able to acquire the status of an all-Ossetian one. It is well known that Khetag became the ancestor, or first ancestor, of the numerous and strong union of surnames known in Tualgom (yorvadöltö) and therefore was inseparable from the local soil. As is well known, such Tualgom surnames as the Khetagurovs, Burnatsevs, Gagievs, Gubaevs, Gioevs, Dzaparovs, Dzidakhanovs, Dzhanaevs, Enaldievs, Otarovs, Sautievs, Tsutsievs and some others, who inhabited the Nar basin, include themselves among the descendants of Khetag. One of his most famous descendants can be considered a public figure, educator, founder of the Ossetian language and literature, Kosta Khetagurov, who in his work often turned to this image. This is partly due to its geographical location in the center of Ossetia, on the border of mountains and plains. But the main thing was its content, which made it possible to unite the north and south of Ossetia, its west and east.

But there was also a period of oblivion?

- Yes, in Soviet, that is, atheistic times, its departure, let's say, was "not welcomed", however, then, in modern times, the attitude of the authorities changed, its representatives began to take part in the folk celebration themselves, indicating their involvement in its ritual .

– Is there any other evidence that this cult has acquired such a high social status?

- I think that one of such indisputable arguments may be the transfer of the date of the holiday from the second Sunday of July to the first, which happened literally before our eyes. A few days ago, about thirty of the most respected keepers of Ossetian traditional cults offered a prayer in the Khetag grove and decided to return to the original date, which was shifted to suit the celebration of the City Day celebrated in the capital of the republic. The secular holiday, the link to which in 1994 indicated the nationwide nature of the cult, eventually lost its relevance, since now the head of the republic becomes one of its participants. Starting next year, the celebration will be moved to the first Sunday in July.

“Tell me, please, is it possible to understand how this happened?”

– It should be assumed that this happened primarily due to the central character of this cult. I want to make it clear right away that this holiday owes its honor not to Khetag, with whose name it is associated in the folk calendar, but to such a character of the Ossetian religious and mythological tradition as Uastirdzhi / Uasgergi, the well-known heavenly patron of men, warriors and travelers. It is he who should be considered the key figure of this holiday. Khetag, on the contrary, is conceived as a historical, that is, earthly person, in whose fate Uastirdzhi played the role of a savior, when his very life hung in the balance.

It should be borne in mind that Uastirdzhi is conceived as a defender of the disadvantaged and innocently persecuted, an opponent of those who trample on social justice. However, this circumstance alone is not enough. Despite their special reverence, the places of worship of Uastirdzhi are known throughout Ossetia. In our case, in a surprising way, several factors of the most diverse properties coincided in place and time at once, be it natural-geographical, socio-historical or religious-mythological. At the same time, the last factor should be considered the key one, bringing together all the others and revealing the deep meaning of the cult, coming from the deep archaic.

- Can you tell me more about this?

- Let's try. Probably, you should start with the venue. And it is the well-known grove of Khetag (Khetoji koh). This is an island of relict forest in the middle of sprawling fields. At the same time, it has the shape of an oval, close to a regular circle, because of which it is also called the Rounded Grove (Tymbyl koh). It is clearly visible from the current highway. I believe that anyone who has been in this treasured grove experienced an involuntary thrill at the sight of huge trees in the girth, the tops of which prop up the sky, felt their greatness and plunged into the surrounding secular silence and peace, disturbed only by the chirping of birds and the noise of leaves swaying in the wind. It is well known that the respectful attitude that in the ecological system of the highlanders was associated with the forest, with trees. So, for example, in the mountains it was not customary to cut wood without extreme need. They drowned mainly deadwood or dung. The forest growing on the slope not only prevented the washing out of the fertile soil layer during summer rains, but also served as a protective agent against snow avalanches. Therefore, in order to protect lonely growing trees from unwanted felling, they were often associated with some kind of cult. Thus, there is no doubt about the justification of the choice of the grove from the religious and mythological point of view, which in itself seemed to be a kind of natural miracle.

- Is it possible in this case to believe that we are dealing with a mythological image of the tree of life?

- Not really. It would be more accurate to say with the world tree (arbor mundi), since it does not bear fruit. Grove Khetag, by the way, is also formed not at all by fruit trees. Usually in tradition, the world tree is marked by a lightning strike.

“Besides, there are numerous sanctuaries known, which were also built with timber?” For example, Rekom, right?

- Yes, that's right. Wood was also a building material. Unlike stone, it was considered especially valuable. However, due to certain circumstances - and now I will contradict myself - the Khetag grove appears not only as an image of the world tree, but also acquires a connection with the tree of life, with a kind of paradise garden, since it becomes the place where Khetag is saved from his pursuers, the place of his second birth . Suffice it to recall the key dialogue for this cult. According to oral legends, when Khetag, fleeing the chase, reaches Suadag, he hears a voice from the forest: "Khetag, into the forest!" However, the forest is too far away. Therefore, Khetag answers: "Khetag is not able (to reach the forest), let the forest (go) to Khetag!" These two phrases are also repeated in the prayers said during the feast.

Is it only this, are there other circumstances as well?

- Yes there is. In Soviet times, during the years of the persecution of the traditional cult, they tried to “put the grove under the saw”, but workers specially assigned for this purpose refused to obey the orders of the authorities. So again a miracle happened and she was saved. By the way, an attempt was made to discredit Khetag, which went in the general direction of the fight against the remnants of the past, presenting it in an unsightly form. However, as shown by V.S. environment. As a result, comparison of surviving versions can serve as a reliable means of verifying the legend of Khetag, that is, verifying its authenticity. As a result, the good name of Khetag cannot be questioned. V. S. Ouarziati believed that the legends about Khetag can rightly be referred to the so-called ethnogonic legends.

– By doing so, he indicated the way of studying the events described in the legend?

- With regard to the Ossetian version of the legends about Khetag, it seems possible to trace them back to the Scythian era. As a result, the main content of the legends about Khetag is not so much the struggle of the brothers as such, but the choice between two models of succession to royal power: between the majorate and the minority. This difference was well known in ethnology and studied by such a luminary of science as J. Fraser. In Ossetian studies, it is considered in detail by Yu. A. Dzitsoyty (Family tree of the Narts. Ancestors of three Nart clans // Historical and Philological Archive, No. 3, 2005, pp. 4–29), referring to family legends, as well as to the material of the Ossetian Nart epic . Minorat, that is, the inheritance of the power of the father by the younger of the brothers, reveals itself in the opposition of the sons of Warhag, who, by the way, according to some versions of the legends, were not two, but three. It is known that it was the youngest of the twins, Akhsartag, who gave his name to the surname of the warriors - Akhsartaggata. However, the next generation of Narts, Uruzmag and Khamits, dispute each other's birthright, that is, they find out which of them is older. In Ossetian life, both forms of inheritance are noted. It is known, for example, that quite often, when a large family was divided, the youngest of the sons remained in his father's house, while the elders left.

- Let's return now to the grove of Khetag, what to do in this case?

– Surprisingly, history has preserved a monument that turns out to be almost a literal visual illustration of the events transmitted in the legend of Khetag. We are talking about a golden comb (beginning of the 4th century BC), which comes from the Scythian burial (mound) of Solokha located on the left bank of the Dnieper. The chief, his servant, five horses and grooms were buried in two tombs found inside the barrow. Near the king's head lay a bronze helmet and a small golden comb (12.3 x 10.2). The scene depicted on this crest can make a lot of things clear to us. Analyzing its composition, the well-known culturologist V. A. Tsagaraev made an observation important for this topic when he correlated it with the three phases of the sun, as "the layout of the cyclic movement of the sun across the sky." He also associated images of lions on the crest with the sun (Art and Time. Vladikavkaz, 2003, p. 145). Thus, we are dealing with a solar myth.

- Why is it important?

– Because Uastirdzhi, who saved Khetag, is also a solar hero in the Ossetian tradition. Common to him are epithets and appeals containing references to this imperishable metal. They call him either "sygzerin / golden", or "sygzerinbazyr / golden-winged", or they say, turning to him with a prayer "sygzerin tyobegty melons kuvdzystyom / we will pray you (with offerings) on golden dishes". By this, he continues the image of the Scythian Targitai, which is not directly on the crest, but is invisibly mentioned due to the metal chosen for its manufacture. At the same time, the three heroes of the composition - the three brothers - can be clearly correlated with the three daily phases of the sun. The youngest of the brothers is the sun at sunrise. In this regard, we recall the epic story of the birth of the sons of Nart Warkhag, the eldest of whom was born along with the first cockcrow, while the youngest was born along with the second cockcrow. The eldest of the brothers is the sun at sunset, while the middle one is the noonday sun. It is noteworthy that their burners, that is, cases for bows and arrows, are empty.

- The horse is also the embodiment of the daylight, isn't it?

- That's right, both the horse and the lions. The killed horse is the sun at sunset, before plunging into the other world. Five lions - indicate the four cardinal points and the sacred center, relative to which they are oriented in space.

- In this regard, I cannot but mention the date of the Ossetian holiday, which is very close to the summer solstice ...

- I believe that you are absolutely right, this link can hardly be accidental, since the traditional calendar is very sensitive to such important events of the annual cycle and simply, by definition, cannot ignore them. From here, probably, there is a connection between the day of Khetag and the subsequent holiday in honor of newborn boys / kyohtsgonyon /, celebrated a week later, one of the main attributes of which, as you know, is a foal. The mother of the newborn went to her relatives for him and then returned with him to her husband's house with a bowl full of other gifts for the newborn baby. So the plot that interests us acquires an additional feminine aspect, without which the continuation of the human race is impossible.

- Where is the forest?

– In traditional culture, hair is identical to the forest. famous folklorist

V. N. Propp, who studied a fairy tale, interpreted the comb as one of the miraculous objects used by the hero. During the chase, he throws it behind him, and a dense forest rises in this place, saving him from his pursuers.

Is it possible in this case to confine ourselves to mythology alone?

- Hardly. I think that the historical aspect of the legends about Khetag is quite obvious. Without a historical component, the cult could not take the place and play the role assigned to it. Its most important advantage lies in the fact that, from a historical point of view, it organically and consistently brings together the Ossetian tradition and world religions. Indeed, even the villages closest to it belong to two different world confessions. The inhabitants of the villages of Suadag, Kadgaron and Khataldon are considered to be followers of Christianity. Whereas the inhabitants of the village of Nogkau were adherents of Islam, which is eloquently evidenced by its original, historical name - Pysylmonkhyu, that is, literally, the Muslim village. This is an extremely important circumstance, testifying to the absolutely harmonious interaction of the Ossetian tradition with the two most important world confessions represented in Ossetia.

- After all, people from the mentioned villages left a noticeable mark in the history of not only Ossetia, but the whole country ...

- Right. A native of Kadgaron was the Orthodox lieutenant-general D. K. Abatsiev, who at one time was a personal orderly under General Skobelev and became famous for his incredible personal courage. From the village of Nogkau, a well-known leader of the Muslim movement in Russia, Akhmed Tsalikov, came out, who on May 8, 1917 became a member of the organizing committee of the All-Russian Congress of Muslims and made a report at it ...

Let's try to sum up the main result of our conversation.

- Let's. I think that we managed to find an explanation for why and how this cult from a local one could become an all-Ossetian one. This cult brought together the ethnic and national culture of the Ossetians, in other words, showed the harmonious interaction of tradition with the world confessions represented in Ossetia. On the one hand, it is based on the Ossetian ethnic myth, which determines the foundations of the socio-historical structure of the Ossetian society and goes back to the Scythian archaic, where the minority dominated. Its sacralization is due to the connection with the solar hero, who stands in the center of the cult. This is its specific features. On the other hand, his departure did not become an obstacle for Ossetians to join the universal, global religions, to feel like full participants in world-historical processes, to keep in touch with world history. Therefore, he was able to become a pan-Ossetian, and joining him became one of the ways to maintain the historical continuity of the supreme power, one of the means of gaining legitimization by the head of our republic.

I wish both your entire editorial staff and the readers of your newspaper that the golden-winged Uastirdzhi save us all from danger and misfortune, just as he saved Khetag from death by turning a small relic grove into a pan-Ossetian sanctuary!