The following text presents a reconstructed myth of the Atsans — a remarkable dwarf people who occupy a distinctive place within the Abkhazian branch of the Caucasian Nart epic tradition. Although often overshadowed by the exploits of the Nart heroes, the narrative of the Atsans preserves archaic cosmological motifs, ethical themes, and mythic explanations of natural phenomena that are central to understanding the mythological worldview of the ancient Abkhaz.

This account was compiled by the eminent Abkhaz ethnographer and historian Shalva Inal-Ipa (1916-1995) and published in his foundational work The Abkhazians. Drawing upon oral traditions recorded in various regions of Abkhazia and from different storytellers, Inal-Ipa reconstructed the myth from fragmentary sources. As a result, the narrative preserves multiple variants and internal contradictions — features that reflect the living, oral character of epic tradition rather than textual inconsistency.

The study of traditional communication culture within wedding ritual practices demonstrates that among the Abkhazians in the late nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth century there existed a highly developed ceremonial communicative system.

We differentiate the communicative process of this cycle into three stages: pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding.

Bella Khotko
Research Fellow, Department of Ethnology and Folk Art,
T. M. Kerashev Adyghe Republican Institute of Humanitarian Research

(Обряд «воздушного» погребения в пространстве языческой культуры абхазов и адыгов)
Translated by AbkhazWorld

Abstract

This article examines one of the most striking rites of Abkhaz–Adyghe paganism, namely the cult of ‘open-air’ burial. Drawing upon historical documents, archival materials, and translated literature, the study demonstrates that the ‘open-air’ burial rite constitutes a phenomenon characteristic of Abkhaz and Adyghe culture across a clearly traceable historical period extending up to the mid-nineteenth century. The cultural-historical approach adopted by the author makes it possible to identify a typology of the ‘open-air’ burial rite and to determine its stable and variable, common and local elements.

Biguaa, V. (2023) Анцвахацара-Ancvaxacara: The Abkhaz Traditional Religion. Sukhum: Abkhaz State University, pp. 22–34.

Valery L. Biguaa
Doctor of Historical Sciences, since 2015 Professor in the Department of History, Archaeology, and Ethnology of Abkhazia at Abkhaz State University; since 2016, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Ethnology at the Institute for Humanities Research of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia.

Нартский эпос и кавказское языкознание - The Nart Epic and Caucasology

23-25 November 1992, Maykop, Republic of Adygeya

Proceedings of the VI International Maykop Colloquium of the European Society of Caucasian Studies

Maykop, 1994, pp. 345–349.
Published by the Government of the Republic of Adygea.

Асker Хьэдэгъалlэ (Asker Khadagatl)

Нартский эпос и кавказское языкознание - The Nart Epic and Caucasology

23-25 November 1992, Maykop, Republic of Adygeya

Proceedings of the VI International Maykop Colloquium of the European Society of Caucasian Studies

Maykop, 1994, pp. 15–25.
Published by the Government of the Republic of Adygea.

Translated into English by AbkhazWorld.

Translator's Note

This article by the distinguished Abkhaz scholar, the first president of the Republic of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba (1945-2010) represents a seminal work in comparative Nart epic studies. Originally published in Russian in 1987, it demonstrates Ardzinba's innovative methodology of analysing Abkhaz folklore through cross-cultural mythological parallels. 

The Nart sagas are the ancient heroic epics of the peoples of the Caucasus, with the Abkhaz version preserving unique archaic features. This analysis of the 'shepherd' figure reveals deep connections between Abkhaz epic tradition and mythological patterns found across Eurasia, from Hittite Anatolia to ancient China.

Abkhaz language phrases are preserved in the original Cyrillic script with contextual explanations provided. Translated from Russian, 2025.

Konstantin Kovács’s The Songs of the Kodor Abkhazians is a seminal collection of ethnographic materials complete with musical notations, published in 1930 by the People's Commissariat for Education of Abkhazia and the Academy of the Abkhazian Language and Literature. This 72-page volume represents a significant exploration into the musical and cultural heritage of the Abkhazian people, focusing on the distinct traditions of the Kodor region. With a print run of 1,500 copies, this work serves as an essential document for understanding the intricate connections between music, folklore, and historical memory in Abkhazia.

Kovács, renowned for his pivotal work 101 Abkhazian Folk Songs (Sukhum, 1929), compiled this collection to document the cultural expressions of a people who had faced centuries of struggle, marked by conquest and resilience. His work captures the profound role that music plays in preserving collective identity, narrating historical events, and portraying social structures.

AbkhazWorld presents the first translations of The Songs of the Kodor Abkhazians, encompassing the Author’s Preface (pp. 3-5) and the initial section, Historical Songs (pp. 7-11), which covers topics such as the struggle for the independence of the Caucasus, the Russian-Turkish War (1877–78), feudalism, and revolutionary events. In time, the remaining chapters will also be translated and made available.

These translations were conducted with the aim of preserving the academic integrity and ethnographic detail of the original text, making them accessible to English-speaking researchers and enthusiasts of Abkhazian folklore.

This article, Mysteries of the 1925 Musical-Ethnographic Expedition, first appeared in Respublika Abkhazia (Issue No. 127, 9–10 November 2006) and was later republished in Аҧсуаҭҵаара / Abkhaz Studies (Issues 8-9, 2013, pp. 298–301). Authored by the esteemed Mirra Khotilashvili-Inal-ipa (1928–2024), a distinguished historian, archaeologist, and honoured cultural worker of Abkhazia, as well as an honorary doctor of the Abkhazian National Academy, the article provides a rigorous examination of a unique yet largely forgotten chapter in Abkhazia’s musical and cultural history.

Khotilashvili-Inal-ipa's work unearths the details of a 1925 musical-ethnographic expedition in Abkhazia, spearheaded by prominent cultural figures of the time. Through meticulous analysis, she investigates the individuals involved, the expedition's objectives, and the enigmatic absence of its findings in Abkhazia’s collective memory. 

Translated from Russian by AbkhazWorld.

To what origins does the Nanhwa holiday in Abkhazia go back? Is it connected with Christian traditions, and what rituals precede it? Read the article.

On 28 August, the memory of the dead is traditionally honoured in Abkhazia. In houses, tables are laid with the fruits of the seasonal harvest, and candles are lit. The tradition also coincides with the Christian feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.