'Academia' Publishing Releases Landmark Series on Abkhaz Nart Epic
The sagas of the ancient Narts are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilisation.
SUKHUM / AQW'A ― 'Academia' Publishing House has announced the release of eight volumes of a groundbreaking ten-volume series on the Abkhaz Nart epic, a monumental work edited by Zurab Dzhapua, the President of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia and a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dzhapua, who has dedicated decades since the 1980s to this scholarly pursuit, has brought to light the vast oral traditions of the Abkhaz people.
This national project, initiated in 2005, saw significant contributions from Dzhapua's doctoral students, Naala Bartsits and Saida Khadzhim.
This series is praised as a pivotal cultural achievement, preserving the rich epic narratives that are foundational to Abkhaz spiritual heritage. The texts, preserved with modern textological precision, comprise all known recordings and variations of these ancient tales, supported by extensive scholarly research, detailed annotations, and musical scores.
Reflecting on the Abkhaz epic tradition, the volumes explore the storytellers' techniques, the mythological characters, and the symbolic landscapes of the epic narratives. The release is celebrated as a major contribution to Caucasian and global epic studies, enhancing the academic and cultural understanding of epic traditions worldwide.