The Functions Revisited, a Nart God of War and Three Nart Heroes
2006; Volume: 34; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0092-2323
Autores Tópico(s)Medieval Literature and History
ResumoThe Nart sagas (myths, actually) of the Caucasus (Colarusso 2002) contain a remarkable figure that presents unexpected links with the Germanic god of war, Wodan (Norse Odin). I shall also examine three heroes, all of whom are characterized by unremitting hostility between them and the Nart band. Parallels between Nart hostility and the berserker hostility in Germanic and the rivalry among the heroes in Irish suggest a detailed security structure for early Indo-European society. Germanic preserves a wealth of titles that fit into this structure. Parallels with the mother of the Nart warband, Satanaya, and the transfunctional goddess complete the picture of an early stage of Indo-European society built upon moieties, rather than functions, each of which could field a warband. Later expansion seems to have brought about a structural inversion and social specialization so that the canonical functions emerge in many of the daughter branches. Only two Nart sagas deal with Nart Wardan(e) (Hedeghatl’e 1970, vol. 7, no. 650, pp. 167-168, no. 651, pp. 168-170; Colarusso 2002, pp. 134-137). While the North Caucasus may seem remote from the Germanic homeland of Scandinavia and northern Europe, I shall show that a link with the Caucasus is at least likely if not altogether certain, and that certain anomalies surrounding the Germanic god of war can be resolved through this link, which is ultimately a GermanicIranian one. This link would have been by means of the Goths in the Crimea in the third century of the Christian era, who occupied the region contiguous with the North Caucasus along with Iranians and perhaps early bands of Huns. The Circassians even preserve an account of a war between themselves and the /g°a(n)t‘(e)/, in which their king, Boz (an Iranian name), was captured and crucified (Colarusso 1994a). In fact, a 1
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