Hory-Uacilla ( Ossetian: ''Уацилла'', ''Wacilla''; Digorian: ''Елиа'', "

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

") or Uacilla, Wacilla for short, is the name of

Saint Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and Miracle Worker (disambiguation), miracle worker who lived in the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in t ...

in Ossetian folklore. It is also the name of an agricultural holiday celebrated on the Monday of the third week after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

. In

Ossetian mythology Ossetian mythology or Alan mythology () is the collective term for the beliefs and practices of the Ossetian people of the Caucasus region, which contains several gods and supernatural beings. The religion itself is believed to be of Scythian ori ...

Uacilla is the thunderer and lord of storms, the patron of agriculture and harvest. Several sanctuaries were dedicated to him, among which the most famous Tbau-Uacilla is located on mount Tbau in the Dargavs Gorge. Among the

Ossetians The Ossetians ( or ; ),Merriam-Webster (2021), s.v"Ossete" also known as Ossetes ( ), Ossets ( ), and Alans ( ), are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the northern and southern side ...

, it is believed that Uacilla protected the fields from hail and showers, disposed of rain clouds and contributed to the growth of cereals and herbs. He was approached during a drought or prolonged bad weather. For this, rams and bulls were slaughtered in his honor and a public prayer was held. In

folk songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

, Uacilla was portrayed as a plowman, performing the functions of a plow in one case and a sower in another. As

Georges Dumézil Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French Philology, philologist, Linguistics, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and comparative mythology, mythology. He was a prof ...

wrote, Ossetians having become Christians began to call St. Elijah "Uacilla". Like the Russians, they think that Uacilla is walking through the sky and fighting evil spirits. When a person is struck by lightning, they believe that Uacilla fired his "fat" (arrow or cannonball) at him.

Celebration

Despite the general basis, the celebration of Uacilla in some areas had its own local characteristics. In

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

the holiday was widely celebrated in the village of Edisa. The celebration in this village lasted for a whole week. Here the saint was also called Tbau-Uatsilla, which is obviously due to the fact that people from the Dargavs Gorge settled in this place, who brought with them the name used at their former place of residence. The celebration was accompanied by

sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

s, community and family feasts. At the end of the repast, which was held separately in each family, the older men took the skin of the sacrificial goat (in which the head and legs were left) and carried it into the forest and hung it on the first tree they encountered. In the first half of the 19th century the researcher of Ossetian traditions A. Yanovsky reported that on this holiday "Ossetians slaughter goats, remove the skin without cutting off the head and hang it on a high pole in honor of the

prophet Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship ...

, asking him to send rain."

References

Sources

* Dumézil, Georges (2001). ''Ossetian saga and mythology''.

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...

: Science. p. 66. * Meletinsky, Yeleazar (1990). ''Mythological Dictionary''.

Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

. p. 672.

External links

Уациллайы зарæг (Song of Uacilla)

Ossetian mythology Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints Folk Orthodoxy Thunder gods Mythological characters Elijah {{Europe-myth-stub

Celebration

See also

References

Sources

External links