ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

Keywords: Stateyny Lists, thar, shah, sultan, shamhal, sovereign

The article discusses an actual source on the history of medieval mountain societies — the Stateyny Lists of the Russian embassies of the end XVIth — middle XVIIth centuries. Various aspects of the North Caucasian peoples’ daily life are reflected in the Nakaz (questionnaires) of the embassies. They are very important due to conservation in them the materials on so called Dark Age (XIII‑XV centuries), and «troubled and dramatic epoch» of the post-Mongol period as well. The data on the social structure is invaluable, despite its paucity.

Keywords: Yalguzidze, Gabaraev, southern Ossetians, translator, alphabet, ABC book, school, poet, «Alguziani» poem

Ivan Yalguzidze left indelible trace in history of the culture of Ossetian people as the first author of the Ossetian alphabet and, on its basis, the ABC book, the first translator of church literature from Georgian into Ossetian, the first Ossetian poet — author of «Alguziani» poem. His love to the native people was great.

Keywords: «Chyryston Tsard» magazine, Orthodoxy, priest, editor, Christian education, preaching, literature, article, poems

The article traces the history of the «Chyryston Tsard» magazine («The Christian Life»), published in Ossetia in the early XXth century in Ossetian. The stages of its development in 1911‑1913 (the editor priest Moses Kotsoev) and 1915‑1916 (the editor priest Harlampi Tsomaev) are considered. A content of the magazine, which published sermons, religious articles, lives of saints, works of art and poems by local authors, is analyzed. The article concludes that the «Chyryston Tsard» religious-educational magazine played a major role in the development of Christian education, national awareness, Ossetian language and literature. Thanks to the magazine a lot of new names in the Ossetian literature was opened.

Keywords: military culture, saddle-horse, faty bæh («horse of arrow»), wedding rites of Ossetians, wedding mutual donation

The article considers one of the important wedding ritual existed in the past of Ossetians, which presupposed a donation by the groom’s party of a saddle-horse to the bride’s immediate family. A special attention is given to solution of the discussing question on the horse image that is known as euphemistic faty bæh («horse of arrow»). The material accessible for today is colligated in the article, and the studying question is covered on the base of its analysis.

Keywords: North Caucasus, town let, Mozdok, socio-cultural milieu, polyethnicity, inter-ethnic communications, national security strategy

The factors of forming and developing of the North Caucasian towns in conditions of the Russian reforms are examined in the article. A particular focus is done to the strategic social and cultural role of Mozdoc in the various periods of the Russian statehood’s forming.

Keywords: state educational policy, North Ossetia, vocation education, initial vocation school, skilled workers

The article examines the problem of formation and development of the vocation institutions in training of skilled workers in North Ossetia in the 1940-1980s. The main stages and directions of reforming the system of initial vocation education in the republic are analyzed in the context of the educational policy, their dependence on the needs of social and economic development is revealed. It is concluded that a Soviet experience of forming initial vocational school is to be used as important and be adapted to the modern demands for restructuring of the state’s economy.

Keywords: ethnic tradition, traditional institutions, life support culture, normative culture, adaptation, innovation, social practices

The article discusses the self-renovating opportunities of traditional culture, mechanisms of its adaptation to the urban cultural milieu. An attempt is implemented to research the Khadzar as an object of the traditional material, social and spiritual culture of Ossetians, and as a phenomenon of the modern urban daily-life for reveal of its archaic bed, tendencies of developing, results of external influences and traces of adaptive practices, functioning in the modern realities and prospects for further adaptation to the processes of modernization.

Keywords: еtymology, substratum, loans, social terms, teonym

Professor Vassili Abaev, a renowned linguist, published his «Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Ossetic language» in four volumes (1958-1989). The Dictionary is most informative as an invaluable source of reference for scholars and students who are interested in Ossetic studies. The author of the article presents the marginalia on the Dictionary with addenda et emendanda.

Keywords: Ossetian dialectology, patois of the Digor variant of the Ossetian, transition patois, Wallagkom patoi

The specific processes of confusion of patois are little-studied, but some conclusions, which studying can lead to, are to be of interest for the general theory of dialects origin. This article is aimed toward the questions of study the transition patois of the Ossetian. Besides, non-published before dialect data, concerning with transition-types of speech of the Ossetian language, are put into scientific using.

Keywords: Arthurian cycle, Scythian Sarmatian adstratum, epic feast, decapitation, etymology

Rational approach to the Middle English poem «Sir Gawain and the Green Knight» provides grounds to reinterpret the poem and to compare it to the Lucian’s dialogue on friendship. This Arthurian poem synthesizes hetero-cultural elements and can be paralleled to Scythian and Sarmatian epics.

Keywords: local self-government traditions, foreign models, Zemstvo, Soviet model, two-level model

The article deals with the problem of formation of local government, which research shows Russia has a rich own history of the local power construction. An undertaken analysis of the Russian and foreign experiences must be in great demand in the modern Russian conditions for correcting of existed models of local self-government with responsiveness of historical, national-ethnic and other local traditions and peculiarities. All of this allows to prevent faults and errors, and to prognosticate the issues of local government.

Keywords: regional political elites, political processes, transformation of the political system, mechanisms of forming of elites

The article attracting the sociological methods analyses the problems of dynamics and positioning of the modern regional political elites, recruitment issues and qualitative characteristics of elites, that is a factor of activity support for any governmental system.

Keywords: gender, leader, image of women, politics, political consciousness, women and society, modernization, historic process, North Ossetia

The article considers some important gender aspects of the forming of the women’s image in the mass political consciousness. Its features are depended on the type of culture which characterized this society: “men’s”, “women’s” or “neutral”. In modern society the meaningful transformation of the social roles is put into effect, but the remains of traditionality affect the role of women in the social life, which is determined not her right to choose, but the rules and determinations “from above”.

The brief essay on biography of S.A. Sheremetev and his activities as the Caucasian namestnik (lieutenant general) in the first half of the 19^th century is done. The author publishes the little-known document, prepared by Sheremetev that reveals his views on the various aspects of the Russian governing in the Caucasus.

The author publishes the little-known document, prepared by S.A. Sheremetev for the Emperor that reveals the namestnik’s views on the various aspects of the Russian governing in the Caucasus. This document deepens our understanding of the activities of the regional administrative power. The note witnesses its author was acquainted with the specifics of governed region and saw local problems proposing the ways of its solutions, and taking a progressive stance on several issues.

This article examines the methods of classification of the nominal cycle of the Ossetian Narta epic. On the base of patterns of evolution of the iconic representations the author researches the dynamic of the Syrdon’s image development and characterizes the structure and major subject schemes of the plot index on this hero of Ossetian folklore.

The author offers the plot index of the Syrdon / Sirdon cycle, prepared on the base of the results of search and analysis of wide complex of archive, literary and historiography materials.

The review presents the research of L. Gostieva on the Ossetian orthodox clergy of the second half of 19^th – the beginning of 20^th century. The monograph is printed within the framework of the series “Caucasus Christian” founded for publication the best scientific work on the history of Orthodoxy in Caucasus and the Church history. As the reviewer notes this work is a result of many-years painstaking author’s work in the archives and libraries, and it reveals the many important aspects of the Orthodox clergy’ activities in the Caucasus over studying period.