Vainakh Mythology - Supernatural Creatures and Heroes

Supernatural Creatures and Heroes

• Pkharmat, demi-god Nart have stolen fire from cruel god Sela. Equivalent of Greek Prometheus, and Georgian Amirani. He is also equivalent to the Circassian Pataraz.
• Pkhagalberi tribe. Mythological dwarf race, Pkhagalberi translated as Haareriders. They were invulnerable for any kind of weapons their enemies the Narts had.
• Turpal, a free-roaming horse came to help Pkharmat in his journey when he called him. "Turpal always roamed free, grazing among seven mountains, and drinking sea-water."
• Uja. One eyed cyclops, faithful servant of Sela. He chained Pkharmat to summit of Mount Kazbek.
• Ida. Falcon coming every morning to tear Pkharmat's liver.
• Spirit of Galayn-Am Lake is a mythologic bull protecting sacred Galayn-Am Lake from being polluted and unfaithful acts.
• Melhun, the fallen angel.
• Nart, a mythical race of giants. Separately from the mythology of other peoples of the Caucasus, in Vainakh mythology Narts can be both good and evil.
• Almas, evil forest spirits. They can be both male and female almases. Almas-men covered with hair, a terrible kind, fierce and insidious; on the chest of them is a sharp axe. Female almases have an extraordinary beauty, but also evil, insidious and dangerous. Sometimes they seem terrifying creatures of enormous growth with huge breasts, thrown over his shoulders behind his back. Favorite theirs occupation - dance: throwing his chest behind his back, raising his hands up, they dance in the moonlight. Almases live in the woods, on the highlands. They are patronized by wild animals and sometimes come with a hunter in a love affair. Luck on hunting, according to legends, depends on the benevolence of an almas.
• Ghamsilg (or Gham-stag) is witch in Vainakh mythology. Ghamsilg may leave her body and enter into an animal. If in her absence to turn the body, then, on his return from travels, it will not be able to return to his body and dies.
• Djinim (Genie). In perceptions of Chechens and Ingush good and evil spirits are between angels and devils. Good and evil djinim together are in the same hostility as angels with devils. Through deceit or eavesdropping, they steal the innermost secrets of the future of man and tell their friends of the earth. Falling star - a star angels cast during eavesdropping. Contact with a djinim leads to insanity.
• Taram, invisible guardian spirits that protect his master from all sorts of disasters. On representations of the Nakhs, every person, every household (family), all natural objects had a Taram.
• Uburs, the evil, bloodthirsty spirits, entered into any animal. Close to the vampire in Slavic mythology (cf. Polish: upiór, Ukrainian: upir).
• Hunsag (or Hunstag), the patron spirit of the forest and forest animals. Hunsag seek to destroy every hunter, who met with him in the woods. From his breast sticks out the bone axe. The forest animals, birds, trees, grass rise to defend Hunsag.