Myths about the Scythians. Mythology of the Scythians The legend of the origin of the Scythians briefly

The famous scientist-universal V.V. Nalimov argued that the myth is the most serious text created by mankind. In fact, mythological plots are the quintessence of the culture of a particular people. It absorbs all its main features in an extremely compressed figurative form, and this image has an amazing property - even after millennia it brings to us many details that have escaped the attention of historians and chroniclers. Scythian mythology is no exception.

Not much is known about the myths and legends of the Scythians, as well as about their deities. Basically, this information was preserved in the writings of Herodotus and other ancient historians. Some information can be gleaned from the records of the conversations of the famous Scythian sage Anacharsis, they often slipped parables and small fragments from the legendary vault of Scythia. Some of them are the memory of real events that happened so long ago that both the events themselves and the characters managed to become part of the mythology.

Future Scythian warriors absorbed stories about legendary battles and heroic deeds with their mother's milk. Traditions about the origin of the Scythian people were passed from mouth to mouth. Perhaps this is one of the most ancient legendary layers of Scythia.

In the myths and legends of the Scythians, two versions have been preserved that explain the origins of the Scythian clan. Both were expounded by Herodotus. According to one of them in the land of the future Scythia,

“The former deserted desert, the first man was born, named Targitai. He had three sons: Lipoksai, Arpoksai and the younger Kolaksai. Under them, three golden objects fell from the sky to the Scythian land: a plow, an ax and a bowl. The eldest of the brothers, seeing these objects first, came closer, wanting to take them, but when he approached, the gold ignited. Then the second one came up, but the same thing happened with the gold. Thus, the gold, ignited, did not allow them to approach, but with the approach of the third brother, the youngest, the burning ceased, and he took the gold. The older brothers, realizing the meaning of this miracle, handed over the entire kingdom to the younger one.

An important point: the ancestor of the Scythian people is Targitai, the son of Zeus himself (Deus, Dyya), who was called Papai in the Scythian way.

The second version deserves no less attention.

According to Herodotus, this option was common among the Greek colonists. According to this legend, the first ancestors of the Scythian people were Hercules (who in the Greek tradition acts as a cultural hero, and among the Scythians was revered as one of the gods) and the snake-footed Virgin. When the sons Agathyrs, Gelon and Scythus, who were born from this union, matured, the Virgin, following the advice of Hercules, suggested that each of them pull on the bow that their father had left, and also gird it in a special way with a belt with a golden cup at the end of the buckle. Only the youngest of the sons, Skif, coped with the task. He got the land, which from now on they began to call the Scythian. The brothers Agathyrs and Gelon retired to neighboring lands.

“From this son of Hercules the Scythian kings originated, and from the cup of Hercules - the custom that still exists among the Scythians to wear bowls on their belts. This is what the Hellenes living near Pontus say, ”concludes Herodotus.

Knot of Hercules

The ancient Greek historian also gives some information about the Scythian religion, naming the most revered gods: “... first of all, Hestia, then Zeus and Gaia. These gods are recognized by all the Scythians, and the so-called royal Scythians also make sacrifices to Poseidon. In the Scythian language, Hestia is called Tabiti, Zeus - Papai, Gaia - Api ".

The goddess of fire and hearth Tabiti was sworn to an oath, violating such an oath had to pay with his life. Zeus-Papai personified the Sky, he is the creator of both the world and people. Recall that it was Zeus who was the father of Targitai, whose name some researchers deduce from the ancient Slavic Tarkh Tarkhovich. The wife of Zeus in Scythian mythology was the snake-footed goddess Api. Her images are especially common in the kurgans of the Kuban. The word "Papay", by the way, for some reason is derived from the Iranian "father", "protector". But in Proto-Slavonic it has the same meaning..

The very name Koloksay goes back to the ancient Slavic KOLO.

As for the legend of the Scythians about the three brothers, it is quite obvious that the three brothers mentioned in it gave rise to three kindred peoples. This can be compared with Belarusians, Little Russians and Russians. These peoples also initially had one language, one roots, one tradition.

The names of the gods are given in Greek. But they, as we see, also have Scythian counterparts. We also pay attention to the fact that the Greeks did not consider Zeus the god of Heaven (The sky they personified Uranus). Separately, it must be said about the Virgin, who was universally revered by the Scythian peoples.

Interestingly, much of this was adopted by neighboring nations. So, in Ossetia and Abkhazia there are legends about ancient Narts, about the sacred bowl, there are other intersections.

There was also a whole layer of myths and legends of the Scythians dedicated to the heroic pages of their history, as well as worldly wisdom. Among the first is the legend about how the Scythians, having exhausted the troops of the Persians, finally gathered to fight them, however, when they saw a hare, they rushed after him. So they expressed their attitude towards the enemy.

Another legend describes the gifts sent to Darius - an arrow, a bird, a frog and a mouse, which the famous commander considered a sign of obedience, but his advisers interpreted this as an offer to run away like a mouse, gallop like a frog, fly away like a bird, otherwise no one will escape smashing Scythian arrows. It soon became clear that the courtiers of Darius were right, and the warlike Persian considered it good not to get involved with such a dangerous adversary.

The myths and legends of the Scythians open up before us the opportunity to touch the history of the people, which an increasing number of researchers consider our direct predecessor. And modern archaeologists and geneticists give more and more reasons to believe that these researchers are right.

Scythians- ancient tribes in the Northern Black Sea region, who lived in the 7th-3rd centuries BC. e. and managed to create a culture high enough for that time, which was subsequently absorbed by the peoples of Eastern Europe, Western and Central Asia.

In the history of civilization, the Scythians took second place after the Greeks and Romans, moreover, they were the direct heirs of their cultural traditions. The origin of the Scythians is still unknown. Despite the presence of a huge number of hypotheses, even now it is impossible to say with certainty where this people came from.

Ancient Greek scientist, "father of history" Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC. e., during one of his travels he visited the Northern Black Sea region and got acquainted with the mores and customs of the Scythians. It was he who wrote down two legends about the origin of the Scythians, one of which was told to him by the Scythians themselves, and the other by the Hellenes.

According to the first legend, in the land of the Scythians, which was at that time a deserted desert, a man named Targitai was born to the god Zeus and the daughter of the Borisfen river. The boy grew rapidly and soon turned into a handsome, strong young man. He married a beautiful girl who gave him three sons: Lipoksai, Artoksai and Kolaksai.

Once the brothers were walking across the field, and suddenly 4 golden objects fell from the sky: a plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl. The elder brother noticed them first and wanted to take them. But as soon as he came closer, the gold suddenly ignited. Then the second brother tried to pick up the items, but he suffered the same fate. When the younger brother approached the things, the burning of gold ceased. Kolaksay picked up the items and carried them to himself. The elder and middle brothers understood the symbolism of this event and conceded to the younger the right to rule the kingdom.

Further, Herodotus says: “And those Scythians descended from Lipoksai, who bear the name of the genus Avkhats; from the middle brother Artoxais, those who are called catiars and trapii, and from the younger king, those who are called paralats; the common name of all of them is chipped, after the name of one king; the Hellenes called them Scythians.

The legend of the Hellenes tells of Hercules, who, “chasing the bulls of Geryon”, arrived in the country where the Scythians now live, and “since a blizzard and frost overtook him, he wrapped himself in a lion skin and fell asleep, and at that time his horses looked like miraculously disappeared into the pasture.” A rather interesting caveat: Hercules drove the bulls, and his horses disappeared. Who made the inaccuracy - the Hellenes or Herodotus, is still unknown.

According to this legend, in search of bulls (horses), Hercules went around the whole earth and came to Polissya. There, in one of the caves, he discovered a strange creature - a half-maiden half-snake. Hercules asked if she had seen his horses, to which the half-maiden replied that she had mares, "but she will not give them to him before he communicates with her."

Hercules agreed to her terms, but the half-maiden, wanting to prolong their connection, kept delaying the return of the animals. They lived together for a long time and had three sons. In the end, she decided to give the mares to Hercules, but before that she asked him what to do with her sons when they grow up: keep them or send them to their father.

Hercules answered this way: “When you see your sons matured, do the best thing like this: look which of them will pull this bow like this and gird it, in my opinion, with this belt, and give this land for residence, and which will not be able to fulfill the proposed my tasks, that they left the country. Having said this, Hercules handed the half-maiden a bow and a belt with a golden bowl at the end of the buckle.

When the sons matured, the mother subjected them to the test proposed by Hercules. The eldest - Agathirs - and the middle one - Gelon - could not repeat their father's feat and were expelled from the country. The younger son - Scythian - exactly reproduced the movements of his father and became the ancestor of the dynasty of Scythian kings.

Meanwhile, the ancient Greek historian had his own point of view on the problem of the origin of the Scythians. According to his hypothesis, the nomadic Scythians who lived in Asia, tired of repulsing the constant raids of the Massagetae, retired to the Cimmerian land and founded their state there several centuries later.

Having settled in new lands, the Scythians established trade relations with the Greeks, as evidenced by the dishes and metal products of Greek origin found by archaeologists. Commodity-money relations in those distant times were not yet developed, therefore, for Greek dishes, gold and bronze jewelry, the Scythian tribes were forced to pay with their own products, mainly bread.

In those distant times, the Scythians were undergoing a process of decomposition of tribal relations, which was reflected in funeral rites. The dead were buried in wooden structures on pillars, in pits imitating a dwelling, in catacombs and in mounds. Among the grave goods one can find battle axes, swords, shells and helmets of Greek workmanship, various kinds of decorations, and mirrors.

The patriarchal nature of relations is evidenced by the fact that free women were buried in mounds built for male burials. Burials of young women deserve special attention, in which, in addition to jewelry, weapons were found. Apparently, while the men were making aggressive campaigns, the women were forced to defend their home with weapons in their hands from the raids of the nomads.

The Scythians had an institution of slavery. In the early stages of the development of society, captives captured in military campaigns became slaves. When a master died, his slaves followed him to the grave. The unfortunate were buried in a bent position with their knees pressed to their stomachs.

The basis of the economy of the Scythian state was conquest campaigns against neighboring tribes. Herodotus tells of a campaign against the Medes, which lasted for 28 years. Tired, the Scythians returned to their native places, hoping to find comfort and peace there. However, their hopes were not destined to come true. Returning home, “they met a considerable army that opposed them, because the Scythian women, due to the prolonged absence of their husbands, entered into a relationship with slaves ...”

Young men born as a result of such misalliances decided to oppose the Scythians. They dug a deep ditch stretching from the Taurus Mountains to Lake Meotida. Nevertheless, the Scythians managed to overcome this obstacle, after which several battles took place, in which the returned warriors won. The values ​​brought from the campaign, which belonged to the class societies of the Near East, had a huge impact on the formation of the artistic style of the Scythians.

At the end of the VI century BC. e. Darius, the king of the powerful Persian state, went to war against the Scythians. In the amount of 700 thousand people, the Persian army invaded the territory of Scythia.

Scythian intelligence worked superbly. The military leaders had an idea not only about the number of Persian troops, but also about their route. The Scythians realized that it would not be possible to defeat the Persians in open battle. Then they invited to the military council the kings of the neighboring peoples - Taurians, Agathyrsians, Neuros, Androphages, Budins and Savromats.

It should be noted that most of the kings refused to help the Scythians, arguing that "the Scythians were the first to start the war and now the Persians, at the suggestion of the deity, are paying them the same." Then the Scythians divided all the available military forces into 3 fronts and began to defend their territory using the methods of guerrilla warfare.

For a long time, the Scythians managed to hold back the onslaught of the Persians. During this period, they managed to inflict significant damage on the Persian army. Then Darius sent a messenger to them with a proposal either to fight in open battle, or to submit and recognize the Persian king as his sovereign.

In response, the Scythians announced that they would fight only when it pleased them, and promised to send gifts to Darius in the near future, but not those that he expected to receive. At the end of the message, the Scythian king Idanfirs allowed himself to express a threat to the Persian king: "For the fact that you called yourself my master, you will pay me."

Military operations continued, and the forces of the Persians were fading away. Herodotus tells that in the last days of the war, when it was already clear who would win, the Scythian king sent ambassadors to Darius with gifts consisting of a bird, a mouse, a frog and five arrows. No comments were attached to the gifts.

Darius understood the meaning of these gifts in this way: the Scythians are given to him with land and water. The arrows, in his opinion, symbolized the refusal of the Scythians to continue hostilities. However, another Persian, Gorbia, who was familiar with the mores and customs of the Scythians, interpreted the meaning of these gifts in a different way: “If you Persians do not fly away like birds to heaven, or, like mice, do not hide in the ground, or, like frogs, If you don’t jump into the lakes, you won’t turn back and fall under the blows of these arrows.”

After sending gifts, the Scythians prepared for a decisive battle. Suddenly, a hare ran in front of the formation and the Scythians rushed to pursue it. Upon learning of this case, Darius said: "These people treat us with great disdain, and it is now clear to me that Gorbia correctly explained to me the meaning of these gifts." On the same day, the Scythians finally defeated the Persians and drove them out of the country.

After the victory over the Persians, the Scythians lived in peace with their neighbors for a long time. However, the invasion of the Sarmatians forced the Scythians to leave their homes and move to the Crimea. The new capital of the Scythian state began to be called Scythian Naples.

The last stage in the history of the Scythians is associated with their concentration on the Crimean peninsula. The territory of the Scythian slave-owning state became much smaller than before, and the number of neighbors also decreased. In the south, in the Crimean mountains, these are the descendants of the Cimmerians - the Taurians, on the Kerch Peninsula - the Bosporus Kingdom and on the west coast - the Greek city of Chersonesos. The exit to the Ukrainian steppes was blocked by the Sarmatian tribes.

During this period, especially close relations developed between the Scythians and the Taurians. The latter, apparently, were drawn into the general political life of the Crimea and were no longer such savages as the Greek historians painted them. The contact of the Scythians with the Taurians became known after studying the burial sites of the steppe Crimea. In particular, in some burial grounds, archaeologists discovered collective burials of ordinary Scythians, characteristic of the Taurians.

Interestingly, they did not have weapons. Similar stone boxes are found mainly in the foothills of the Crimean Peninsula, that is, near the territories of the Taurians. At the beginning of our era, a new term appeared - "Tauro-Scythians", found on one of the Bosporan inscriptions. Some researchers believe that it may indicate the partial assimilation of the Taurians with the Scythians.

The Crimean settlements of the Scythians of this period, studied in recent years, are mainly of an antique character. This can be seen in the system of fortifications and residential buildings. The most indicative in this respect are Scythian Naples - a city that combined barbarian and Greek features; Turkish rampart and ditch, limiting the Crimea along the Perekop line.

In the II century BC. e. Olbia, located on the periphery of the state, began to lose its former significance. Chersonese acquired an ever greater role, especially in trade. The Scythian state, despite the fact that it lost a significant part of its territories and weakened economically, continued to pursue a rather active policy in the Crimea. First of all, the Scythians tried to take possession of Chersonese and subjugate it completely.

But Chersonesos, having enlisted the support of the Pontic king Farnak, who promised to protect the city from the barbarians, defeated the army of the Scythians and Taurians. The war ended with the defeat of the Scythian army.

Despite the hard times that came for the Scythian kingdom and the defeat in the Crimea, these events did not lead to the death of the state. Historians testify that the Scythians started most of the wars due to a lack of money in the state. But after they lost their former power, the Scythians decided to improve their position in another way.

The state decided to transfer the possession of its lands to those who wanted to cultivate them, and were content with the agreed payment. With those who refused to pay them, they fought.

During this period, the Scythians could no longer hold Olbia in their permanent power, and in the 1st century BC. e. it was defeated by the warlike tribe of the Getae. After that, the Scythians partially settled and restored Olbia, but it no longer resembled the once rich and flourishing city. Nevertheless, as a sign of its independence, the city issued coins with the names of the Scythian kings Farzoy and Inismey.

During this period, Olbia was under the protectorate of the Scythians, but they did not influence the general political situation, and when in the 2nd century BC. e. the Romans decided to include it in their empire, the Scythian state was unable to resist this.

It should be noted that at that time the Scythian state could not pursue an independent policy on the Black Sea coast, much less resist Roman intervention. During the II-I centuries BC. e. conflicts regularly occurred between the Bosporus and the Scythians, as a result of which the advantage constantly turned out to be on the side of the more powerful Bosporan state.

Thus, the Scythian state by the 1st century BC. e. was no longer viable: its economy was completely undermined, trade ties fell apart due to the inaccessibility of the points through which it constantly traded. In addition, a mass movement of barbarians began at this time. An important role in this was played by the state of Germanarich, which united many tribes of the Northern Black Sea region, which, together with the Sarmatians, Proto-Slavs and Goths, penetrated into the Crimea.

As a result of their invasion, Naples and many other Scythian cities were destroyed. After this raid, the Scythian state did not have the strength to restore. It is with this event that historians associate the final death of the Scythian state, which existed from the 5th to the 2nd century BC. e.

Myths and legends of the peoples of the Kuban have come down to us only in the retelling of ancient authors. They are complemented by images on gold and silver vessels, weapons, jewelry and household items found during excavations of rich burials.
The most valuable source of information about the origin, history and customs of the Scythians and their neighbors is rightfully considered the work of Herodotus "History".
traveled a lot in the countries of the East, visited Babylon and Sicily, on the banks of the Nile and the islands of the Aegean Sea. He also visited Scythia. Everything seen and heard formed into a bright, colorful picture of the life and customs of the Scythians, social structure, military affairs, beliefs and rituals.
The lifestyle, customs, legends and myths described by Herodotus provide a lot of information about the peoples of the Kuban region, who were close to the Scythians in language and occupation.

Legends about the origin of the Scythians

One of them, according to Herodotus, was told to him by the Black Sea Scythians themselves.
“The Scythians say that their people are younger than all others and happened as follows: in their land, which was a deserted desert, the first man was born, named Targitai.
He had three sons: Lipoksai, Arpoksai and the younger Kolaksai. Under them, three golden objects fell from the sky to the Scythian land: a plow, an ax and a bowl. The eldest of the brothers, seeing these objects first, came closer, wanting to take them, but when he approached, the gold ignited. Then the second one came up, but the same thing happened with the gold.
Thus, the gold, ignited, did not allow them to approach, but with the approach of the third brother, the youngest, the burning ceased, and he took the gold.
The older brothers, realizing the meaning of this miracle, handed over the entire kingdom to the younger one. According to the Scythians, they descended from the sons of Targitai, who was considered the son of Zeus.
Herodotus attributes the second legend about the origin of the Scythians to the Greek colonists. According to this legend, the first people in the Scythian land were Agafyrs, Gelon and Scyth, who were born from the Greek hero Hercules and the local half-maiden-half-snake. Leaving her, Hercules said: “When you see your sons matured, do the best thing like this: look which of them will pull this bow like this and gird it in my opinion with this belt, and give this land for residence, and which will not be able to accomplish my task, the addition went out of the country. By doing so, you yourself will be satisfied and by this you will fulfill my desire.
Pulling his bows and showing the method of girdling, Hercules left the bow and belt with a golden bowl at the end of the buckle and left. Two of the sons could not fulfill the order of their father and were expelled from the country by their parent. And the youngest, Skiff, having completed the task, remained. “From this son of Hercules,” writes Herodotus, “the Scythian kings originated, and from the cup of Hercules is the custom that the Scythians still have to wear bowls on their belts. This is what the Hellenes who live near Pontus say.
There are other legends about the origin of the Scythians. In all legends, the divine origin of power is substantiated.
Greek and Scythian myths, retold by different people, somewhat coincide, but also differ in the description of events and heroes.

According to " father of history" Herodotus , the Scythians themselves had such a legend about their origin: on a deserted land from Zeus and the daughter of Borisfen (Dnepr), the first man Targitai was born. He had three sons - Lipoksay, Arpoksay and Kolaksay. One day, four golden objects fell from the sky: a plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl. These items were not given to the elder and middle brothers, only the third one was able to take and take with him wonderful gifts. The older brothers understood the significance of this miracle and handed over the reins of government to the younger. The Scythians of the Avkhat clan descended from the eldest son of Lipoksai, from the middle son - Katnars and Traspians, from the younger - Paralats.

Herodotus recorded another legend about origin of the Scythians , which probably arose in the Greek environment: Hercules, chasing the herds of Gerion, arrived in a country that was not yet inhabited at that time. Caught in a blizzard and frost, he wrapped himself in a lion's skin and fell asleep, and in the meantime his horses disappeared somewhere. In search of mares, Hercules ended up in the so-called Hylaea, where he met a strange creature in a cave: a half-maiden, half-snake. To Hercules' question about horses, she replied that she had mares, but she would give them to Hercules only if he entered into a love affair with her. Three sons were born from this marriage. Leaving, Hercules left a bow and a belt for the snake-footed goddess, saying: “When you see your sons matured, look which of them pulls this bow like this and girds, in my opinion, with this belt. - give this land for residence, and the one who does not will be able to fulfill the task I propose, left the country. When the sons grew up, the elder Agathyrs and the middle Gelon could not fulfill the father's covenant and were expelled, while the younger - Scythus - fulfilled it and remained in the country. The Scythian kings * descended from him, and the entire people of the Hellenes were called Scythians.

Herodotus tells another story, according to which the nomadic Scythians, who lived in Asia and were pressed by the Massagetams, another Scythian tribe, crossed the Arak River and ended up in the Cimmerian land. The Cimmerians (tribes of the Late Bronze Age) left the country, and the Scythians, pursuing them, ended up in Asia Minor. Thus, the legends heard by Herodotus speak of a semi-autochthonous 1 origin of the Scythians, and the story, which Herodotus himself considered the most reliable, testifies that the Scythians came to the Northern Black Sea region from Asia.

And what does modern science say about the Scythians?

Most researchers of our time (B. N. Grakov, M. I. Artamonov and others) connect the origin of the Scythians with the tribes log culture who lived in the Bronze Age and advanced from the Volga region to the Black Sea steppes in the 8th century. BC e.

Srubna culture got its name from burials in log cabins, which, starting from the middle of the II millennium BC. spread along the Volga. Don and Dnieper, and then appear in the Crimea.

The first mention of the Scythians in written sources date back to this time. Homer's poems speak of the northern country of the Cimmerians and the mysterious tribe of mammals who lived there - milking mares. It is not without reason that they are considered Scythians. The Scythians are also mentioned by the epic poet Lord, who lived at the turn of the 8th and 7th centuries. to i. e.

According to M. I. Rostovtsev and other scientists, in the VIII-VII centuries. BC e. tribes of Scythian nomads came to the Black Sea steppes from some territories of the Trans-Volga region and Asia. This assumption is based on the above account of Herodotus, as well as on vol. that the Scythians belonged to the tribes of the northern Iranian language group. It is difficult to say which of the two points of view will be correct. Further archaeological research will help resolve this complex issue.

Residence Scythian tribes in the Northern Black Sea region covers more than a millennium: from the 7th century. BC e. until the 3rd century n. e In the VI-V centuries. to i. e. the borders of the Black Sea Scythia, according to Herodotus and other ancient authors, stretched from the Danube to the Don.

Usually, three periods are distinguished in the history of Scythia: early, or archaic (7th-6th centuries BC), middle, coinciding with the time of Herodotus (5th century BC), late, starting with the state of Athea (IV century BC). Archaeological research conducted in the Crimea in the postwar years allowed the archaeologist P.N. e.)3.

Some scholars deny the need to single out this period, believing that from the 3rd century BC. BC e. due to the strong mixing of the Scythians with other tribes, the characteristic features of their culture disappear.

Scythian settlements of the early period in the Crimea are not yet known. Obviously, this is explained by the fact that nomadic forms of life prevailed among the Scythians at that time, and their burials were mostly “let in” into the mounds of earlier burial mounds of the Eneolithic and Bronze Ages.

In the V-III centuries. BC e. on the lower Dnieper and in the Crimea, the process of settling of nomadic Scythians to the ground was going on - especially intensively in areas adjacent to Greek cities, to which bread could be sold.

In late Scythia, sedentary forms of life were already dominant. It was during this era that urban culture was formed among the Scythians. Economic and political ties with neighboring Greek cities accelerated the formation of the Scythian statehood.

The Scythians lived in the 1st millennium BC. in the steppes north of the Black Sea. It was a people who spoke the Indo-Iranian language, like the ancient inhabitants of the Dnieper region, in which the Eastern Slavs were born. Probably, part of the Scythians eventually turned into Slavs.

The mythology of the Scythians has not come down to us completely. Only a few myths and legends are known, told by Herodotus and some other ancient authors. Some legends and the meaning of names can be established with the help of comparative historical linguistics.

Scythian goddesses and gods

The Scythians worshiped seven gods, like many other Iranian peoples. Their supreme goddess was Tabiti. In addition to him, the pantheon included Papai, Api, Oytosir (Goytosir), Argimaspa, and 2 more deities whose names have not been preserved. Tabiti was the goddess of fire and the hearth. She was called the "Queen of the Scythians".

The Scythian king Herodotus mentioned that the most advanced Scythian tribe - the "royal Scythians" - worshiped Poseidon, or Tagimasad, as they called him.

Herodotus retold the Scythian myth, according to which Zeus married the daughter of the Dnieper River. From this marriage was born the first man - Targitai. He had three sons - Lipoksay, Arpoksay and Kolaksay, who gave rise to three branches of the Scythian people.

Under the sons of Targitai, a golden plow with a yoke, an ax and a bowl fell from the sky, which only Kolaksay managed to pick up. He became the ruler of ancient Scythia.

Scythian legend

Scythian mythology: the archer Herodotus told another legend about the Scythians. In ancient times, the Scythians went to fight in Media, and they were not at home for many years (information about the campaigns of the Scythians in Asia is confirmed by historians). But when they returned home, they found a whole army in front of them, which did not want to let them in. It turned out that during their absence, their wives had married their former slaves and re-arranged their lives.

The children from these marriages decided to prevent the return of the former owners. They dug a wide ditch, armed themselves and entered into battle with the Scythians.

For many days the battle continued, which did not bring an advantage to either side. Finally, one of the Scythians said that it was absurd to continue this battle with slaves - after all, this is how the Scythians perish, and their property (slaves) decreases. "While we go out to battle with weapons, they consider themselves equal to us, but as soon as we take up the whips, they will immediately remember their slave origin."

Scythian edition of gold The next day, the Scythians went into battle, armed with whips alone. As soon as their opponents heard the sound of whips, they immediately remembered their origin, panicked and fled. So the Scythians managed to return their country and their homes.

Scythian heritage

Scythian animal style: golden deer The Scythians left behind a rich cultural heritage. In burial mounds, gold items depicting people and animals are often found. The style of these finds is unique - it is called "animal style". The images usually contain everyday and mythological motifs.

edited news Core - 2-04-2011, 01:02