Pkharmat
Encyclopedia
Pkharmat is a legendary hero of the Vainakh
people who brought fire to mankind. This allowed them to forge metal, cook and illuminate their houses. As a result of this, the people united and became a nation. Pkharmat is the Vainakh equivalent of the Greek
hero Prometheus
and the Georgian mythology
hero Amirani
, among others.
, who loved and pitied his people, for they had no fire. The fire was kept by the cruel god Sela in his realm to show the Narts his strength and power and to suppress them. Sela, the god of the stars, thunder and lightning, drove his fire-chariot about the heavens and criss-crossed the Sky, making a terrible noise. With his bow he fired bolts of lightning down to earth.
Because they had no fire, Narts ate raw food and cold milk, and had no agriculture. For a long time the Narts led a miserable life. Sela knew it and was glad to see them so miserable as all the other gods were except Sela's wife Sata. Sata cared for Narts, but she was afraid of her husband.
One day, there appeared a brave hero, Pkharmat. Pkharmat knew of the fire in hell on the top of Mount Bashlam, thought to be a volcano
. One day he decided to steal it. He forged without heat for his journey a coat, a sword and a shield out of Bronze
. He mounted his horse Turpal and began his journey.
Sata took bird's form and alighted upon the mount's summit. She spoke to Pkharmat with a human voice: "O powerful Nart, you have not reached the summit of Bashlam by chance. You have come to fetch Fire." Pkharmat answered "The people are in need of heat, of light. I shall only return to Earth to bring back Fire!". Having seen how strong the Nart and his horse were, Sata promised to help him in his quest for Fire. She advised him how to go about obtaining some, and warned him of the possible danger and of Sela’s cruelty.
Pkharmat also received help from his older brother, who Pkharmat informed of his quest. He gave his dear younger brother the carz, a reed-like plant with a soft-inner core, with a piece of coal in it. The coal was very much attracted to the fire, and it burned, and with its sparks boring into the carz, eventually boring eight holes of different length. Finally, the carz had been made into the reedpipe, which could make music, formerly unknown to the Narts. It was eventually given to the Narts.
Pkharmat leaped over hell and seized a burning piece of wood. Sela was angered that a Nart acted against his will and tried to catch him. Because he was unable to reach him, he untied his skein in which he kept night. Pkharmat quickly lost his way in the darkness, but Sata came to help, guiding him in bird form. Sela saw Pkharmat escaping and untied two skeins in which he kept storm and terrible cold. Pkharmat overcome these difficulties and struggled to the great cave in all Narts were gathered together for protection from cold, storm and darkness. He gave them the fire and told “Here is Fire for you! Multiply and become a great tribe. Warm yourselves; illuminate your homes, the caves, the towers; cook, prepare food from now on. Rejoice!”
After that Sela sent his servant cyclops Uja to punish the unfaithful Pkharmat. Uja chained Pkharmat to the peak of Mount Bashlam with chains of bronze. The falcon Ida comes to Pkharmat every morning. According to the will of Sela, it sits upon Pkharmat’s knees and tears at his liver with his beak.
and is used as a male name.
and one of the chief mountain
s of the Caucasus
located in Georgia
. Bashlam's last eruption was circa 750 BC. Events occurring in the legend may be memories of the chaos reigned in those days. Bashlam is the Nakh name of the Mount Kazbek, translated as Molten Mount. Bashlam has always been a sacred site for the Nakh and home of the Akkhi and Nart-Orsxtoi Tukkhum
s.
Greek version- Prometheus and Zeus
In the Greek version, the god Prometheus confronts is in fact the main head of the patriarchal pantheon, Zeus, who is almost always viewed in a positive light, as the loving All-Father, as the wise ruler of all, etc. The tale of Prometheus is one of the few instances where he is viewed negatively. Zeus guards the fire to keep humanity down, because he knows that once humanity has fire, it can make weapons, and progress, leading eventually to an ability to overthrow his rule. In some versions he also reasons that humanity is better off in ignorance and backwardness, without fire, often symbolized by its destructive nature contrasting its use for industry.
Greek version- Kronos and Oranos
In another Greek tale, Oranos, Zeus' grandfather was originally the ruler of the universe. He ruled with an iron fist and had a paranoid fear of being overthrown, leading him to oppress his own children, the First Generation Titans (6 males-including Kronos, the youngest- and 6 females). This tale did not involve any stealing of fire, but, rather, the overthrow of Oranos by Kronos (Uranus by Saturn in the highly similar Latin version) brought the knowledge of agriculture to humankind. For Greeks and other Indo-Europeans, agriculture did not require fire, so the tales of how humankind acquired them are separate.
Vainakh version
For the most part, the Vainakh version is extremely similar to the Greek version of Prometheus. However, rather than the head of the pantheon, as Zeus is, Sela is a major god, but he is not the head of the pantheon (which would be Deila). Like Zeus, Sela owns thunder and lightning and uses lightning as a weapon. However, he shares certain characteristics with the Greek Uranus
: he is the god of stars and the sky. Sela's personality also resembles that of Uranus.
Humankind attains both fire and agriculture as a result of the conflict between Pkharmat and Sela. Humankind also attains its first instrument- the reedpipe - from the affair, and with it, music, which in Vainakh culture is considered very important and was thought to have mystical properties. In addition to fire, agriculture, the reedpipe, and music, the origin of coal (given to Pkharmat while inside the carz) and how man obtains it is also explained.
Greek Version
Humankind is only given fire- with which it can make tools. This exemplifies the importance of the forge in Indo-European culture.
and Ossetes, but often didn't, as is the case with the Greeks, Latins, Celtic peoples, etc). This seems to support the hypothesis that the original homeland of the Indo-European peoples
lay to the immediate north of the Caucasus touching both the Black and Caspian Seas and possibly extending north along the Volga some length as well as somewhat west into Ukraine. This hypothesis is now the most widely accepted, rather than the hypotheses that the Indo-European languages originated in the Anatolian plains, in the Armenian highland, India, Balkans or the ancestral Slavic
homelands, or that they were a sprachbund. Comparison of the various versions of the stories also support that the original Indo-Europeans probably had more intense cultural exchange with the North Caucasus than the South Caucasus- the forms most close to the Indo-European versions of the tale are, in fact, the Circassian version and the Vainakh
version. Interestingly enough, the Circassian and Abkhaz name for the hero is Pataraz , which shows very noticeable similarity to the Greek name Prometheus, which is similar to most other Indo-European versions; comparing these two, it is also possible to note Pkharmat's similarity. It is possible that Pataraz, Prometheus, Pkharmat and possibly others are all roots from the same original name.
Nakh peoples
Nakh peoples are a group of historical and modern ethnic groups speaking Nakh languages and sharing certain cultural traits...
people who brought fire to mankind. This allowed them to forge metal, cook and illuminate their houses. As a result of this, the people united and became a nation. Pkharmat is the Vainakh equivalent of the Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
hero Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
and the Georgian mythology
Georgian mythology
The article is about the mythology of the country of Georgia.Georgian myths and legends are preserved mainly as popular tales. Many of them have eventually fused with Christian legends after Christianization of Georgia more than fifteen centuries ago....
hero Amirani
Amirani
Amirani is the name of a culture hero of a Georgian epic who resembles the Classical Prometheus. Various versions of the myth reveal a process through which the myth was transformed over time, but the legend itself is traced between 3,000 and 2,000 years BC at the beginning of the first Iron Age,...
, among others.
Tale
Pkharmat was a demi-god, or NartNART
NART may refer to:*North American Racing Team*The National Adult Reading Test*Nart sagas, Caucasian myths...
, who loved and pitied his people, for they had no fire. The fire was kept by the cruel god Sela in his realm to show the Narts his strength and power and to suppress them. Sela, the god of the stars, thunder and lightning, drove his fire-chariot about the heavens and criss-crossed the Sky, making a terrible noise. With his bow he fired bolts of lightning down to earth.
Because they had no fire, Narts ate raw food and cold milk, and had no agriculture. For a long time the Narts led a miserable life. Sela knew it and was glad to see them so miserable as all the other gods were except Sela's wife Sata. Sata cared for Narts, but she was afraid of her husband.
One day, there appeared a brave hero, Pkharmat. Pkharmat knew of the fire in hell on the top of Mount Bashlam, thought to be a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. One day he decided to steal it. He forged without heat for his journey a coat, a sword and a shield out of Bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. He mounted his horse Turpal and began his journey.
Sata took bird's form and alighted upon the mount's summit. She spoke to Pkharmat with a human voice: "O powerful Nart, you have not reached the summit of Bashlam by chance. You have come to fetch Fire." Pkharmat answered "The people are in need of heat, of light. I shall only return to Earth to bring back Fire!". Having seen how strong the Nart and his horse were, Sata promised to help him in his quest for Fire. She advised him how to go about obtaining some, and warned him of the possible danger and of Sela’s cruelty.
Pkharmat also received help from his older brother, who Pkharmat informed of his quest. He gave his dear younger brother the carz, a reed-like plant with a soft-inner core, with a piece of coal in it. The coal was very much attracted to the fire, and it burned, and with its sparks boring into the carz, eventually boring eight holes of different length. Finally, the carz had been made into the reedpipe, which could make music, formerly unknown to the Narts. It was eventually given to the Narts.
Pkharmat leaped over hell and seized a burning piece of wood. Sela was angered that a Nart acted against his will and tried to catch him. Because he was unable to reach him, he untied his skein in which he kept night. Pkharmat quickly lost his way in the darkness, but Sata came to help, guiding him in bird form. Sela saw Pkharmat escaping and untied two skeins in which he kept storm and terrible cold. Pkharmat overcome these difficulties and struggled to the great cave in all Narts were gathered together for protection from cold, storm and darkness. He gave them the fire and told “Here is Fire for you! Multiply and become a great tribe. Warm yourselves; illuminate your homes, the caves, the towers; cook, prepare food from now on. Rejoice!”
After that Sela sent his servant cyclops Uja to punish the unfaithful Pkharmat. Uja chained Pkharmat to the peak of Mount Bashlam with chains of bronze. The falcon Ida comes to Pkharmat every morning. According to the will of Sela, it sits upon Pkharmat’s knees and tears at his liver with his beak.
Turpal
Turpal was a legendary horse capable of outrunning lightning, which always roamed free, grazing among seven mountains, and drinking sea-water. Pkharmat wanted Turpal as his horse.. Not even Sela's lightning bolts allowed Pkharmat to catch Turpal, which forced him to untie his skeins. Another miracle of Turpals miracles was leaping over burning hell on Bashlam's peak when Pkharmat took fire. Turpal means Hero in Nakh languagesNakh languages
The Nakh languages are a small family of languages spoken chiefly by the Nakh peoples, in Russia , in Georgia, and in the Chechen diaspora ....
and is used as a male name.
Mount Bashlam
Bashlam is known to most of the world as Mount Kazbek. Nowadays frozen Mount Bashlam is the place on top of which Sela's burning hell was placed. Bashlam is a dormant stratovolcanoStratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
and one of the chief mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
located in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. Bashlam's last eruption was circa 750 BC. Events occurring in the legend may be memories of the chaos reigned in those days. Bashlam is the Nakh name of the Mount Kazbek, translated as Molten Mount. Bashlam has always been a sacred site for the Nakh and home of the Akkhi and Nart-Orsxtoi Tukkhum
Tukkhum
Tukkhum an alliance of teips, unrelated by blood but united in a higher association for the joint solution of common problems - the protection from enemy attack and economic exchange...
s.
Equivalents of Pkharmat in other traditions and their significance
Pkharmat is usually identified as the Vainakh equivalent of similar figures in various other traditions (Greek, Armenian, Circassian, Abkhaz, Georgian, Ossete, Roman and so on).Comparisons
There are notable differences between the different versions of the so-called "Prometheus".Nature of god opposed by hero
In all versions, the "Prometheus" figure fights against a powerful god who has denied humanity fire. However, other characteristics of this god vary:Greek version- Prometheus and Zeus
In the Greek version, the god Prometheus confronts is in fact the main head of the patriarchal pantheon, Zeus, who is almost always viewed in a positive light, as the loving All-Father, as the wise ruler of all, etc. The tale of Prometheus is one of the few instances where he is viewed negatively. Zeus guards the fire to keep humanity down, because he knows that once humanity has fire, it can make weapons, and progress, leading eventually to an ability to overthrow his rule. In some versions he also reasons that humanity is better off in ignorance and backwardness, without fire, often symbolized by its destructive nature contrasting its use for industry.
Greek version- Kronos and Oranos
In another Greek tale, Oranos, Zeus' grandfather was originally the ruler of the universe. He ruled with an iron fist and had a paranoid fear of being overthrown, leading him to oppress his own children, the First Generation Titans (6 males-including Kronos, the youngest- and 6 females). This tale did not involve any stealing of fire, but, rather, the overthrow of Oranos by Kronos (Uranus by Saturn in the highly similar Latin version) brought the knowledge of agriculture to humankind. For Greeks and other Indo-Europeans, agriculture did not require fire, so the tales of how humankind acquired them are separate.
Vainakh version
For the most part, the Vainakh version is extremely similar to the Greek version of Prometheus. However, rather than the head of the pantheon, as Zeus is, Sela is a major god, but he is not the head of the pantheon (which would be Deila). Like Zeus, Sela owns thunder and lightning and uses lightning as a weapon. However, he shares certain characteristics with the Greek Uranus
Uranus (mythology)
Uranus , was the primal Greek god personifying the sky. His equivalent in Roman mythology was Caelus. In Ancient Greek literature, according to Hesiod in his Theogony, Uranus or Father Sky was the son and husband of Gaia, Mother Earth...
: he is the god of stars and the sky. Sela's personality also resembles that of Uranus.
Gifts given to man and significance
Vainakh VersionHumankind attains both fire and agriculture as a result of the conflict between Pkharmat and Sela. Humankind also attains its first instrument- the reedpipe - from the affair, and with it, music, which in Vainakh culture is considered very important and was thought to have mystical properties. In addition to fire, agriculture, the reedpipe, and music, the origin of coal (given to Pkharmat while inside the carz) and how man obtains it is also explained.
Greek Version
Humankind is only given fire- with which it can make tools. This exemplifies the importance of the forge in Indo-European culture.
Relevance to the debate about the homeland of the Indo-European language family
Interestingly enough, all the indigenous religious traditions with a figure equivalent to Pkharmat were practiced by peoples of the Caucasus and some Indo-European peoples (who sometimes resided in the Caucasus, as is the case with the ArmeniansArmenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and Ossetes, but often didn't, as is the case with the Greeks, Latins, Celtic peoples, etc). This seems to support the hypothesis that the original homeland of the Indo-European peoples
Proto-Indo-Europeans
The Proto-Indo-Europeans were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language , a reconstructed prehistoric language of Eurasia.Knowledge of them comes chiefly from the linguistic reconstruction, along with material evidence from archaeology and archaeogenetics...
lay to the immediate north of the Caucasus touching both the Black and Caspian Seas and possibly extending north along the Volga some length as well as somewhat west into Ukraine. This hypothesis is now the most widely accepted, rather than the hypotheses that the Indo-European languages originated in the Anatolian plains, in the Armenian highland, India, Balkans or the ancestral Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
homelands, or that they were a sprachbund. Comparison of the various versions of the stories also support that the original Indo-Europeans probably had more intense cultural exchange with the North Caucasus than the South Caucasus- the forms most close to the Indo-European versions of the tale are, in fact, the Circassian version and the Vainakh
Nakh peoples
Nakh peoples are a group of historical and modern ethnic groups speaking Nakh languages and sharing certain cultural traits...
version. Interestingly enough, the Circassian and Abkhaz name for the hero is Pataraz , which shows very noticeable similarity to the Greek name Prometheus, which is similar to most other Indo-European versions; comparing these two, it is also possible to note Pkharmat's similarity. It is possible that Pataraz, Prometheus, Pkharmat and possibly others are all roots from the same original name.
Pkharmat in popular culture
- Pkharmat in Chains a poetic drama based on Pkharmat Legend written by Sergei Stratanovskii 2001.
See also
- Vainakh mythologyVainakh mythologyThe Vainakh people of the North Caucasus include the modern Chechens and Ingush, who are today predominantly Muslim in religion. Nevertheless, their folklore has preserved a substantial amount of information about their pre-Islamic pagan beliefs...
- Nakh peoplesNakh peoplesNakh peoples are a group of historical and modern ethnic groups speaking Nakh languages and sharing certain cultural traits...
- PrometheusPrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
- AmiraniAmiraniAmirani is the name of a culture hero of a Georgian epic who resembles the Classical Prometheus. Various versions of the myth reveal a process through which the myth was transformed over time, but the legend itself is traced between 3,000 and 2,000 years BC at the beginning of the first Iron Age,...
- Nart sagaNart sagaThe Nart sagas are a series of tales originating from the North Caucasus. They form the basic mythology of the tribes in the area, including Abazin, Abkhaz, Circassian, Ossetian, Karachay-Balkar and Chechen-Ingush folklore....