Tusholi (Тушоли) is a
goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
of
Spring and
fertility
Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...
in
Ingush and Chechen mythologies and the daughter of the supreme god
Dyala/
Däl.
She was the best-loved goddess of the
Vainakh Vainakh or Vaynakh may refer to:
* Vainakh peoples
The Nakh peoples are a group of North Caucasian languages, North Caucasian peoples identified by their use of the Nakh languages and other cultural similarities. These are chiefly the ethnic C ...
people before their adoption of Islam, revered as the patroness of her people, and believed to intercede on their behalf with her father, the more aloof Dyala. The ancient
Ingush
Ingush may refer to:
* Ingush language, Northeast Caucasian language
* Ingush people, an ethnic group of the North Caucasus
See also
*Ingushetia (disambiguation)
Ingushetia is a federal republic and subject of Russia.
Ingushetia may also refer ...
and
Chechen people prayed to her for healthy offspring, abundant crops, and the fertility of their livestock.
Tusholi was the only deity of the Vainakh pantheon who was depicted regularly in an icon - usually a wooden or silver belt ornament depicting a woman with a tear on her cheek. Tusholi is also often depicted on the building stones of Chechen and Ingush towers.
In the Ingush calendar the month of April was named in her honour. The goddess was also worshipped by childless women. Ingushetians and Chechens celebrated the Spring Festival of Tusholi at the time of the annual return migration of
hoopoe
Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "Crest (feathers), crown" of feathers which can be raised or lowered at will. Two living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many y ...
from warmer climes (the hoopoe, known as ''Tusholi-kotam'' (= Tusholi's hen) was believed to be the companion of the goddess and considered highly sacred
[Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Page 119]).
In 2010, the Spring Festival of Tusholi was celebrated for the first time in Ingushetia since the adoption of Islam by the Ingushetians.
Further reading
* Mythological Dictionary / E.M. Meletinsky, - Moscow. Soviet Encyclopedia, (1990) - 672 page.
* Myths of nations of the world / S.A. Tokareva, - Moscow, Soviet Encyclopedia, (1992) - Volume 2 - 719 page.
* Ingush goddess Tusheli in the book: Proceedings of the Ingush A.A. Zakharov, Research Institute, v. 4, Ordzhonikidze, 1934.
* The Cult of Tusholi among the Ingush, in: ''Religious beliefs of the peoples of the USSR'', E. Schilling, v. 2, Moscow-Leningrad, 1931, p. 32-34.
References
External links
Article about the goddess Tusholi online "Mythology"Reports of TV channel "Culture" of the Spring Festival "Tusholi" in Ingushetia
{{Authority control
Fertility goddesses
Chechnya