ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

In the agrarian cult of the Ossetians a special place occupied by one of the forms of manifestation of visionary practice is that of kurysdzau. This was the name for special people, who had the ability to move to another world at definite times of the year. Due to the prerevolutionary researchers of the Ossetian culture and beliefs, we have a detailed description of this phenomenon, but in special studies the phenomenon of kurysdzau has not been adequately represented. It is important to note that for a long time visionaries were left without enough attention by the science, being considered to be an insufficiently important element of human culture. Belief of kurysdzau characterizes the idea of the Ossetians in old times about the influence of the deceased people on the growth of cereals. It is based on the cult of the dead, one of the main provisions of which was the superstition of people, that the dead can influence everyday life of the remaining generations. Thus, ancient idea of people about the forthcoming harvest and about economic conditions in the coming year are at the basis of kurysdzau practice. If sorcerers, fortunetellers and clairvoyants mainly performed order of an individual person or a family, the kurysdzau fulfilled that of the whole society. This attributed them a special status. People were afraid of the fortunetellers, but respect was always displayed to the kurysdzau. Travel to the word of the dead was linked with danger for the soul of a messenger, who could face lethal consequences upon return to the world of the living. The kurysdzau practice is the base of the oldest folk beliefs about the forthcoming harvest and the economic conditions in the coming year. The demand for this form of visionary activity was determined by the social request, as a tool for future analysis of agricultural activities in the current year.

Keywords: kurysdzau, Burku, Kuiris, cereals, cult of ancestors, agriculture.

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