The Ispy in the Nart Epic Tradition, by Asfar Kuek

The following article examines the Ispy (Испхэр), a race of dwarf beings who occupy a distinctive place within the Circassian (Adyghe) branch of the Caucasian Nart epic tradition. Although often overshadowed by the exploits of the Nart heroes, the Ispy preserve archaic mythological layers in which they appear as primordial inhabitants, culture heroes, and possessors of sacral knowledge.

Drawing on epic narratives, comparative mythology, and archaeological interpretation, the study explores their connection to megalithic structures (dolmens), their relationship with giants and Narts, and their enduring presence in Caucasian mythological consciousness.

This brief article is offered as part of AbkhazWorld’s ongoing series on dwarf peoples of the Caucasian epic tradition. For a related study, see our article on the Abkhazian Atsans.

Asfar S. Kuek is an Adyghe (Circassian) scholar from the Republic of Adygea, Doctor of Philology and Leading Research Fellow at the Adyghe Republican Institute for Humanitarian Studies. A writer and journalist, he previously served as editor-in-chief of the republican newspaper Adyghe Mak and is the author of numerous academic and literary works devoted to Circassian culture and the Nart epic tradition.

The Ispy in the Nart Epic

The Ispy (испхэр) are a small-statured tribe of people who appear widely in epic narratives. They are depicted as fearless, strong-willed, and at times extremely cruel, yet overall they are characterised positively. The Ispy are sometimes referred to as Byrsy. The meaning of this term remains unclear; it likely derives from the name of the locality in which the Ispy once lived. Thus, Pətərəz, the avenger of his father Khymysh and son-in-law of the Ispy, defeats his father’s killer in the Byrsey Valley near the Uarp River. A field called Bərsae is also mentioned [1, 1V: 58].

E. Spencer observed that “…the Circassians and Abazins in their traditions say that before their race occupied the country, it was inhabited by a people of such small stature that a hare served them as a horse…” [2: 121].

The well-known folklorist A. Tsipinov notes that “alongside the giants (Inyzhes – A.K.), the Ispy are perceived by tradition-bearers as primordial beings and first inhabitants of the territory they now occupy. According to some variants, the Narts were even subordinate to the Ispy” [3, 1V: 38]. The functions of giants and dwarfs (the Ispy – A.K.) as “culture heroes” are not limited to the creation of the first humans; they were also the first possessors of certain cultural artefacts [3: 105].

Isp guash, the mother of the Nart Pətərəz, instructs the Narts on how to make a sickle. This is clearly reflected in the legend “How Tlepsh First Made a Sickle.” The Narts had previously harvested crops by pulling them from the ground. They asked the Nart blacksmith Tlepsh to forge a tool “that would sit easily in the hand and with which much could be cut at once.” Tlepsh directed them to the wife of the god of fertility and vegetation, Thagelidzh, who in turn sent them to Isp guash, for only she knew the design of the new implement. The Narts learned that the iron must be “bent like a rooster’s tail and notched like the teeth of a serpent.”

The land of the Ispy bordered the country of the Narts. As related in the Nart tale “How Sauseryko Met Adyif,” it was a prosperous land: rivers flowed in waves, beautiful trees rose everywhere, and pastures abounded. Rich herds grazed upon golden meadows. The days there were neither too hot nor cold. “The Ispy, to whom these riches belonged, were so small that they were scarcely visible upon the earth… Yet they were sufficiently brave… Let your enemy meet the Ispy, and they will hack him to pieces with the tip of a sword…” [1, V: 180–181].

The strength and military power once possessed by the Ispy are described in the legend “How the Narts Reclaimed Satəney guash from the Ispy.” During the time of the Narts, the tribe of the Ispy was led by their pshchy (prince), Zhachezh (Жэк1эжъ — literally “Old Beard”), who sought to marry the beautiful Satəney. She refused him. Fearing the Narts’ anger, he dared not abduct her until the finest Nart warriors had departed on a year-long campaign. Then he carried her off by force.

Zhachezh’s fortress stood above a narrow precipice and was extremely difficult to approach. A single path led to it, guarded by countless warriors. The Narts attempted repeatedly to rescue Satəney, killing many Ispy, but without success. Finally, at the advice of the seer Useryezh, the young Narts enlisted the aged hero Orzames. With them went Gorgonizh, the Narts’ swineherd, famed for his immense strength. The Ispy showered the Narts with arrows and barred their approach. Then Gorgonizh shielded himself with his horse’s hide and broke through the enemy’s defences. Thus the Narts overcame the Ispy and freed Satəney guash [1, I: 178–183].

Even the Inyzhes feared the Ispy. “The steam from the nostrils of an Inyzh shook the little Isp,” recounts the tale “Erykshəu and the Narts.” “What do you intend to do?” asked the giant. “I think I shall take my club and beat you,” replied the Isp. The Inyzh immediately fled [1, 1: 275].

Although warlike, the Ispy were hospitable and always had abundant wine and food. When the Nart Khymysh encountered the Ispy pshchy during a hunt, he was invited as a guest but could not enter the Ispy’s house due to its size. As related in “The Birth and Upbringing of Pətərəz,” the Isp compelled the Inyzhes living beyond the mountain to build a spacious stone house for the Nart.

The image of the Ispy is most fully developed in the cycle concerning Khymysh and his son Pətərəz. From “Nart Khymysh” we learn that the Ispy lived in houses constructed of massive, hewn stones leaning against one another. The Narts described them as “those whose heads were made, but whose bodies were not.” Though small, the Ispy were highly capable and cunning, sometimes called “little magicians.” In Khymysh’s time their strength was already waning, and they ceased hostilities with the Narts.

One brave Ispy pshchy, hunting upon a hare rather than a horse, outran Khymysh’s steed and shot a deer through the heart from between its legs. Hunting was central to both Narts and Ispy. As noted, “in hunting folklore, above all are praised personal courage, luck, ingenuity, and physical strength” [4: 26–27]. That the Ispy pshchy surpassed Khymysh attests to his prowess.

The arrow he used was extraordinary. In “The Birth and Upbringing of Pətərəz,” the Isp declares: “If I release this arrow at an angle, it will leave no one alive in the world; if it enters the earth, it will weaken it so greatly that it will no longer sustain humankind” [1, 1V: 35–38].

Most versions describe the Isp host as having a single daughter, Isp guash. Despite her small stature, she was beautiful and intelligent. Khymysh sought her hand but was refused. She feared he might one day insult her by calling her a “little unfortunate one” (мыгьо цӀыкӀу), which would destroy their marriage. Khymysh swore by the god Uashkho never to utter those words. Yet he broke his oath, and the pregnant Isp guash left him. Her resolute character reflects the strong will attributed to the Ispy.

According to Nart custom, a woman leaving her husband must leave the child with him. Thus Isp guash, having given birth, handed over the infant and refused to nurse him. She prescribed instead a ritual upbringing involving embers from oak bark. In another variant, she states that her son would accept only her milk and should drink walnut sap. These extraordinary instructions underscore her otherworldly nature.

The Narts feared the unborn Pətərəz, knowing Khymysh’s bravery and that the Ispy descended from the line of Nəguchitsa. They sealed the boy in a barrel and cast him into the river. He survived, matured, and later avenged his father. Pətərəz defeated the evil god Pako, restored the hearth fire, and freed the leader Nasren. He could be slain only if the gaze of his foster father Zhokoan and the arrow aimed at him coincided — which ultimately occurred.

Later, the Narts ceased hostilities and protected the Ispy. In “The Giant Bound to the Mountain,” the Narts convene a Khase (people’s assembly) to decide how to support the widowed Isp guash. When the giant Shkhabgo plundered her, they bound him to a mountain facing the sun.

+ The Nart Epic: The Atsans, by Shalva Inal-Ipa

+ The Adyghe (Circassian) Nart Epic: The People’s Age-Old Memory, by Asker Khadagatl

+ Dolmens and Cromlechs in the Western Caucasus: An Overview

The Adyghe Ispy closely resemble the Abkhazian Atsans. D. Gulia recounts that the Atsans were so small they climbed ferns and pruned them, and their stone enclosures remained visible [5: 105–106]. Like the Ispy, the Atsans were powerful hunters. Both enter marital alliances with Narts.

The Ispy lived in Ispyuny (isp-houses). These stone dwellings are identified with megalithic structures. Dolmens, oriented toward the cardinal directions and dated to the 4th–2nd millennia BCE, likely served cultic functions [7: 13]. Lavrov records that even in the 19th century the Shapsugs left sacrificial food at dolmens [9: 41–43].

Scholars have noted parallels between Caucasian dolmens and Egyptian pyramids. V.I. Markovin interpreted them as embodying the idea of magically benefiting the living population, with zigzag motifs symbolising water [9: 91]. N.G. Lovpache similarly saw dolmens as repositories of sacral power associated with fertility and cosmic order [7: 16].

Ispyuny, like Aztec pyramids, are considered in mythological belief to be “places of power,” where energies flow between earth and cosmos [10: 4].

Conclusion

The mythic image of the Ispy is most vividly preserved in the Nart epic. Alongside the Inyzhes, they are perceived as primordial beings and first inhabitants. As culture heroes, they helped fashion the first sickle. Though small, they were fearless, cunning warriors, sometimes called “little magicians.” They possessed magical weapons, and their descendant Pətərəz restored the hearth fire to the Narts.

The Ispy resemble the Abkhazian Atsans and even African pygmies known to Herodotus. They lived in stone Ispyuny, megalithic structures that functioned as places of worship. Caucasian dolmens share features with Egyptian pyramids and, in mythological consciousness, remain sacred “places of power.”