ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

DOI 10.23671/VNC.2018.66.11422

The article is devoted to the problem of development of the animatic and animistic beliefs in the Narts’ epic. According to the majority of folklore scholars, the stages of the evolution of mankind from the primitive communal system to the feudal formation are reflected in Narts’ epos of the Ossetians. All forms of pre-Christian beliefs, beginning with animism and the preceding animatism are reflected in the epos. There are a lot of examples of remnants of animatism – the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena, person's non-ability to separate objects and phenomena from himself. They believed that the first Nart was created by heavenly fire. In the epic, all nature is animated: the forest, the mountains, the sea, and the plain lead a life patterned according to human’s life. To the sound of Atsamaz's pipe, the high walls of the castle rocked, the horned deer began to dance... The heroes are born in unusual ways. Similizing nature to a human being, the animatist discerns the soul neither in the person nor in the phenomena of nature. Over the time, Narts acquire the belief in the spiritualization of objects and phenomena of nature. The soul could be located both in the human body (breathing, pulse, heart), and beyond. Balsag’s Wheel, Batraz's sword, the horses of heroes are endowed with souls. Narts perceived objects of external nature acting premeditatively, having will and consciousness. The analyzed materials testify to the ancient roots of the formation of Narts’ legends of the Оssetians.

Keywords: animatism, animism, Narts, the spiritualization of nature, animate and inanimate objects, reincarnation, horse, sword.

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