The article deals with main cults of the ancient Ossetian pantheon created by means of merge of local cults (part of which in a varying degree is of pre- Zoroastrian Iranian origin) with Christianity and Islam. Elements of archaic ceremonialism are still being observed in traditional spiritual culture of the Ossetians. Ancient Alanian cults come under the all-Alanian, tribal, communal, and patrimonial ones; the latter are almost unstudied. The majority of these cults more or less transformed under the influence of Islam and especially Christianity are of scientific interest both to the problem of religious syncretism of a separate people’ worldview and the position of religious syncretism as a common cultural phenomenon for North Caucasus people. It is extremely difficult to separate the Iranian elements from the ancient religion of Alans and Ossetians. Reconstruction of its separate phenomena (ceremonies, cults) is possible, however, isn't always reliable. If local religious formations can be more or less distinguished due to the comparative analysis, then more archaic Scythian and Sarmatian component is non-recoverable. The ancient Alanian religion has undergone essential transformation, in particular due to the pressure of Christian and Islamic missions. The religion of Alans and Ossetians is inseparable from Christianity; early educational activity of the Byzantine and Georgian missionaries didn’t give serious results, however, it has significantly affected the development of local religious cults. Christianity having merged with archaic cults was conceived and rethought by local population, which formed a syncretic religion remained in the household culture of the descendants.
Key words: the Ossetians, archaic cults, religious syncretism, Islam, local cults, Christianization
DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662.2017.3.17-24
About the author
 |
Marina O. Sidakova – Graduate Student of the Department of Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies, Moscow State University; build. 4, 27 Lomonosovskij prospekt, Moscow, Russia,119192; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |