Botky Shirtka

Shirtka - in translation from the Ingush language means affection . According to one legend, Botky is the name of his father ^[1] . But it is possible that his name literally translates as "belonging to darkness." "Boad (Boda)" is translated as darkness .

Weasel was revered for destroying harmful rodents, and the playfulness of the animal was compared with the ability to move between worlds. The weasel was called "Shirtka, going into the world of El and returning to the world of the sun" ( "Iel, malha ear Shirtka" ). The Ingush have a saying: “Shirtka is good, and the mouse is bad” (“Shirtka - dika, dakhka - vo”) ^{[1] [2] [3]} .

It has both divine and human nature, characteristic of a demigod (for example, as Sela-Sata ) or a sledge ( Ceska Salsa , etc.). Shirtka can be called the god of wisdom, knowledge, cunning and clairvoyance, the patron saint of seers and healers.

Analyzing the few data on pagan religion recorded by ethnographers ( Ch. E. Akhriev , B.K. Dalgat , etc.), as well as the traditions and tales of the Nart epic, one can notice that most of the characters of the Nart epic are at the same time gods worshiped by the Ingush and Chechens. It is possible that the image of Shirtka as a god was supplanted from religion in a later period, and remained only in folklore. It is also likely that the information about him came to us in a distorted form or that his role in religious life was insufficiently studied, but in any case, the following is only an assumption and would not be appropriate on the basis of this, without subjecting any doubts or having no evidence in the form of precise indications of this fact in ethnographic materials, consider Shirtka the god of wisdom, cunning and providence.

Here are the signs by which we can assume that he was a god:

• He spends most of his time in the world of the dead - El , has free access to it, can penetrate there instantly, and for this he does not necessarily need a hole in the ground or a staircase leading to El ^{[1] [2] [4]} .
• It has a positive image, in contrast to the same Seska Solsa , whose nature is dual, but in most tales he belongs to the number of Orsthoys (negative characters) ^{[1] [2] [5]} .
• It has a direct impact on religious rites. The custom to arrange a memorial dinner at the end of October (ardari), called Mars-pjor , was adopted after Shirtka showed people that the dead receive all the donations made for them in the living world ^{[1] [2] [2] [5]} . (see more Mars-pjor)
• He brought a mill from the underworld, with his help Sela Sata brings scissors, needles and a thimble ^{[1] [2]} .
• His name is called an animal - weasel . Weasel was called “Shirtka, going to the world of El and returning to the solar world” (“Iel, Malha of Shirtka’s ear”) ^[1] . This is a distinctive feature of the gods of the Chechen-Ingush pantheon. Almost all the gods of the pantheon have their animals or birds as companions or images. For example: Villages - eagle , corvids , Sata - oriole , Elta - deer , Tusholi - hoopoe , etc.)
• There is a legend which says that the adopted mother of a child born of Solsa’s stone went for healing water, which was guarded by a certain Batig. He allowed her to take water from the spring, provided that she lived with him for a year. They had a son (Shirtka). Interestingly, in the Ossetian epos, Batag or Gatag is the water spirit, the father of Syrdon (the Ossetian version of the name Shirtka). More detailed information or other legends have not reached our times, in which they would speak much more specifically about Shirtka's father and about what deity he was and what functions he performed. But even in this legend, there is a hint that Batig is associated with the water element and is not a sled, or a person. And that is logical, his son Shirtka has abilities and is invulnerable to sledges.
• In one of the legends, he is named Celius Pirya and his characteristic coincides with the characteristic of similar legends about Shirtka. In this case, Pirya is the son of Sela. I.A. Dakhkilgov believed that Pirya (Pharaoh) was the distorted name of Shirtka, or replaced under the influence of Christianity. In any case, this is another fact indicating the divine dryness of the character ^{[1] [4]} .

Feature

Not a sled . It is distinguished by wisdom and a sense of humor, gives ambiguous answers, speaks in riddles, and in every possible way aggravates sledges ^[5] . It has the ability to move into the underworld of El. ^[5] Mostly lives there, is a mediator between the worlds. It is also mentioned that he lives near the lake and hides there in case of danger. Shirtka is a visionary and sees prophetic dreams. To facilitate the work of people, he brought a water mill from the world of the dead ^[1] . It was enough for him to look at a person, as he immediately recognized all his secret thoughts. Able to heal wounds and injuries. ^{[1] [2]} If you pronounce his name out loud, he suddenly appears out of nowhere. ^[1]

Birth and Family

Due to the presence of many legends recorded in different places and at different time intervals, as well as possible distortions in the recording, the information may be contradictory. All possible relationship options are listed here.

• Father - Batig (Botki). His father was not a sled. In the Nart epic, he is referred to as someone guarding a source of healing water. The adoptive mother, born of Solsa’s stone, came at the request of her son to the spring to get water, but Batig allowed her to fill the jug, provided that she lived in his house for one year. So Shirtka was born. It is difficult not to notice a similar motive in the Ossetian epos. The father of Syrdon (the Ossetian version of the name Shirtka) was the water spirit of Gatag (Batag) ^[1] .
• Seska Sols - his half-brother or mother-in-law ^[1] .
• Shirtka allegedly lives in a house near Sata ^[1] .

Celius Piria

"Pira" - so the Ingush called Pharaoh (the influence of Christianity). In the recorded legend, Celius Pirya appears as a positive hero (he brought people a water mill). It is possible that Pirya is a distorted (or misunderstood) Shirtka (The legend “Seska Solsa and Seliy Pirya” was recorded in 1936 from Shugmarza Pugoev, a resident of the village of Phugo. D. Malsagov wrote down ) ^[1] .

Sarmak and Botky Shirtka

The dragon Sarmak appeared in a dream to B. Shirtka and warned him about the cunning plans of the sled Inkar ^[1] . Interestingly, in legends, dragons live in the world of the dead ( El ) and obey the "king of the Sarmaks." ^[4] Most likely, in connection with the influence of Christianity and Islam, the god of the dead became known as the king of Sarmak. It is possible that Shirtka spent most of the time in El, had connections with the beings of the world of the dead ( Sarmak , Yeshap ) and with the very god of the dead, Estrom .

Sela-Sata and Botky Shirtka

According to legend, Botky Shirtka lived in a house near Sela-Sata. Once he brought her to El. In the world of the dead, she was for some time a servant of Yeshap. Shirtka taught her how to brew beer, then ordered Yesap to give them a drink. After Yeshap got drunk, he allowed Sata to take everything that she liked and sent to the world of the living. The village of Sata took with it cereals, scissors, etc. ^[1] .

Relations with sleds

The Narts scoffed at him, and tried in every possible way to humiliate or cause harm.

At the same time, he had authority with them, the sledges turned to him for advice, help, or called on campaigns ^[5] . Sirtka refused, he preferred solitude, did not interfere in human life. Earthly customs for him, as it were, do not exist: he does not know the feeling of anger, revenge; he patronizes the sledges, even if they are hostile to him. Ch. Akhriev recorded a legend which tells how the Narts killed B. Shirtka’s son, and to take revenge on them, he brought them to the garbash (cannibal) hut. When Solsa realized that he was in danger of death, he asked Shirtka for forgiveness and promised to fulfill any desire. Botky Shirtka forgave them and saved them by cunningly quarreling garbash with her sons ^[3] .

There are also often tales of how Ceska Solsa, out of envy, sends someone from the sledges to cut off his lip near the horse of Shirtka. But Botky Shirtka learns about this, and in turn cuts off the tails of all the Nart horses, Then, Ceska Solsa, in front of all the Narts, tries to dishonor Botky Shirt, taunting his horse laughing. But Botky Shirtka replies that the horse is laughing at the tailless horses of the Narts, who are walking in front of him. The angry sleds intend to take revenge, but Shirtka is hiding in the world of the dead ^{[1] [2] [4]} .

The custom of remembering the dead

There was a separate legend in which Botky Shirtka convinced people to donate food to the dead. In the legend “How was the custom to make a memorial service”, Botky Shirtka, a character of the solar and underground worlds, also performs a “cultural feat” in his own way, teaching people how to celebrate memorial services for the dead. To convince people of this, Shirtka takes some of the living with him, descends into the world of the dead and shows that the living was sacrificed for the dead ^{[1] [2]} .

An interesting and illustrative case related to affection was recorded by the writer Abas Matiev: “Once people saw an eagle circling above one spot, dive straight down, grabbed a small animal with its beak, swallowed it and soared up. Then in the air the eagle soon began to randomly rush from side to side, and then somersaulted to the ground. The shepherd watching all this ran to the eagle and saw that he was dead. A bloody hole was visible on the eagle’s chest. Not far from the eagle lay a dying caress (shirka). The shepherd understood that the weasel swallowed by the eagle, with its sharp teeth, soon gnawed the eagle’s stomach and managed to fall out ”(Yalsmalen kart. Nazran, 1997. P. 71.) ^[1] .

• Dakhkilgov I.A. Ingush Nart Epic / I.A. Dakhkilgov. - Nalchik: Tetragraph, 2012 .-- ISBN 978-5-906002-42-6 .
• Dalgat U. B. Heroic Epic of the Ingush and Chechens / I. A. Dakhkilgov. - Moscow: Science, 1972.
• Akhriev Ch. E. From Chechen legends // Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders ". - Issue 5. - Tiflis, 1871. - P. 38-46.
• Akhriev Ch. E. A few words about the heroes in Ingush legends. // "Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders." - issue. IV. - Tiflis, 1870.
• Malsagov A.O. Nart-Orstkhoy epic of the Vainakhs. - Grozny, 1970 .-- S. 73.