Apsat (mythology)
Apsat (also Avsati or Æfsatī;
Svan people
The
The association of Apsat with fish and birds is thought to stem from the eagle, which, as a fishing bird, is associated with both the sky and the water.[7]
Ossetian people
To the Ossetian people, Apsat is called Æfsatī, and he is regarded as the primary deity of the hunt.[10] He appears as such in the Ossetian epic called the Nart saga.[5] Ossetian hunters referred to game as Æfsatī's cattle (Ossetian: Æfsatijy fos).[1] Hunters would make offerings and sing hymns begging his favor, and if successful in the hunt, would offer roasted organs such as the heart or the liver for thanks.[10] He is most commonly portrayed as elderly, bearded, and either one-eyed or blind.[11] It was said that he dwelt in a hut deep in the forest with his wife and daughters, and would occasionally permit huntsmen to marry his daughters.[10] Occasionally he was portrayed as a man with antlers or an animal with a white coat.[5]
Other traditions
The Karachay people of the North Caucasus revered Apsat as Apsatı[2] or ApsatƏ,[5] god of hunting and prey. His daughter Fatima was known for her beauty.[2] Like the Ossetian Æfsatī, Apsatı often took the form of a white goat.[5]
References
- ^ ISBN 9780226064567.
- ^ ISBN 9789004302068.
- ^ Tuite, Kevin (2006-02-20). "The meaning of Dæl. Symbolic and spatial associations of the south Caucasian goddess of game animals." (PDF). In O’Neil, Catherine; Scoggin, Mary; Tuite, Kevin (eds.). Language, Culture and the Individual. A Tribute to Paul Friedrich. pp. 165–188. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ Arzhantseva, I. A.; Albegova, Z. Kh. (1999). "Kul'tovye kamni Kiafarskogo gorodšča". In Markovin, V. I.; Munčaev, R. M. (eds.). Drevnosti Severnogo Kavkaza (in Russian). Moscow. pp. 183–200.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ )
- ^ "ӕфсӕ", Wiktionary, 2017-02-13, retrieved 2023-05-21
- ^ ISBN 978-0-226-06457-4.
- ISBN 9789659055500.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-134-64151-2.
- ^ a b c Chaudhri 2002, p. 167-168.
- ^ Tuite 2018, p. 143.