Circassian paganism

[StonyArabia]

Circassian paganism will continue till the 19th century when many Circassians convert to Islam due to the influence of Crimean Tatar missionaries and alliance. Circassian paganism is quite beautiful, well some Circassians nominally adopted Christianity, the majority adhered to their true native pagan believes. Thus Christianity did not leave a remarkable influence unlike paganism. Worship of spirits in rivers, forest, was actually quite common until the adoption of Islam.

I will present you with some pagan chants





The Circassian pantheon

Afi

(Афы)


God of lightning.

Amisch (also Amish, Yemish)

(Амыщ, Амыш, Емыш)


Initially god of fauna, then god of sheep.

Awishijer, Awischjerjiy, Dawischjerjiy

(Аушыджэр, Аущджэрджий, Даущджэрджий)


God of courage and bravery. Circassian version of St. George. Later identified with Jesus Christ.

Axin

(Ахын)


God of (large) cattle.

Ghwabzheghwesch

(Гъуабжэгъуэщ)


Cosmological deity of righteousness and light.

Gwasche

(Гуащэ)


Goddess, protectress, patroness.

Hedrixe, Hedirix

(Хьэдрыхэ, Хьэдырых)


Protector of the dead.

Hedrixethe

(Хьэдрыхэтхьэ)


God of the hereafter (Abzakh).

Hek'wschtaschhe, Hekwschtix'

(ХьэкIущтащхьэ, Хьэкущтыхъ)


Protector of oxen (Shapsugh).

Hekwstash

(Хьэкусташ)


Patron of horsemanship.

Hentsiygwasche, Hentsegwasche

(Хьэнцийгуащэ, Хьэнцэгуащэ)


Goddess of rain.

Hewits-Hesh

(Хьэуц-Хьэш)


God of seas and demi-gods.

Hex'-Mox'

(Хьэхъ-Мохъ)


God of cosmic bodies.

Jedipe

(Джэдыпэ)


God of rivers and seas (literally: ‘hen’s beak’).

Lhepsch

(Лъэпщ)


Patron of smiths, iron, weapons and fire. Corresponds to the Roman god Vulcan and to Hephæstus in the Greek Pantheon.

Mamisch, Mamish

(Мамыщ, Мамыш)


Patron of fortunetellers, specifically of scapula readers


Merise

(Мэрысэ)
Protectress of bees; later associated with Mary, Mother of Christ. Her three sisters: patronesses of family life, warriors and peasants.

Mezgwasche, Mez Gwasche

(Мэзгуащэ, Мэз гуащэ)


Goddess of forests and trees.

Mezithe

(Мэзытхьэ)


God of forests, trees, the hunt and beasts. He disposed of the fate of beasts, and brought good luck to the hunt. He is depicted as riding a golden-bristled boar. He took his deer to a meadow wherein a group of virgins milked them.

Peqwe

(Пэкъуэ)


'False' demi-god - creator of the fields - debunked by Wezirmes.

Psathe

(Псатхьэ)


God of the soul or life. Also denotes icon of Christian Circassians (in Mozdok).

Psithe

(Псытхьэ)


God of water.

Psithegwasche, Psigwasche

(Псытхьэгуащэ, Псыгуащэ)


Goddess of water. Popular tradition had her portrayed as a beautiful maid.

Psix'wegwasche

(Псыхъуэгуащэ)


Goddess of rivers (river valleys).

Qwedes

(Къуэдэс)


God of sea, in form of fish (literally: ‘living in a depression’).

Schible

(Щыблэ)


God of sky, thunder(storms) and lightning; also of war and justice. Equivalent to Thor in Scandinavian mythology.

Shuu-Muts

(Шуу-Муц)


God of wild animals.

Sotresh

(Сотрэш)


God of gaiety and holidays.

Sozeresh, Soziresh, Sozeresch, Sozresch

(Созэрэш, Созырэш, Созэрэщ, Созрэщ)


God of fertility, family hearth, well-being and illness. He was a great voyager and controlled the winds and waters. He was also the protector of herds (Shawzerish [Шаузэрыш] in Shapsugh).

Tetertup

(Тэтэртуп)


God of war and bloodshed. Equivalent to Grecian Ares and to Roman Mars.

The

(Тхьэ)


God.

Theghegwf'e Shu

(ТхьэгъэгуфIэ шу)


God of good news (literally: ‘rider who brings joy to the gods’).

Theghelej

(Тхьэгъэлэдж)


God of fertility and plants.

Theghwiychu

(Тхьэгъуичу)


Protector of people. Intermediary between gods and people.

Thegwasche, The Gwasche

(Тхьэгуащэ, Тхьэ гуащэ)


Protectress of women (literally: ‘Matron of the gods’).

Theqwafeshu

(Тхьэкъуафэшу)


God's herald.

Theshiripx'w

(Тхьэшырыпхъу)


Patron of beautiful and intelligent women.

Theshu

(Тхьэшу)


Protector of horsemen.

Theshxwe

(Тхьэшхуэ)


The Supreme God.

Waschx'we

(Уащхъуэ)


One of the supreme cosmic deities; god of the skies (literally: ‘blue sky’).

Witx'wey Qeis-Qeis

(Утхъуей Къес-Къес)


God of rain and snow (Black Sea Shapsugh).

Xade Gwasch(e)

(Хадэ гуащ[э])


Goddess of gardens.

Xi Gwasche

(Хы гуащэ)


Goddess of the seas.

Yele, Yelle

(Елэ, Еллэ)


Prophet (St.) Elijah. Shared the godhead of lightning with Schible in the Christian era.

Yemich

(Емыч)


Demi-god. Had a day consecrated to his worship.

Yisp Gwasche

(Исп гуащэ)


Protectress of the Yisps (a race of pygmies mentioned in the Nart tales).

Zchegwpathe

(Жьэгупатхьэ)


God of family hearth.

Zchithe

(Жьытхьэ)


God of wind.

Zeik'wethe

(ЗекIуэтхьэ)


God of campaigns (roads), later, also of horsemanship. He was not set into any particular form by popular tradition.

Zhig Gwasche

(Жыг гуащэ)


Goddess of trees.

[Maleficent]

You should revert back to it. It's your true paternal religious cultural heritage.

[StonyArabia]

Circassian ritual and ceremonies

Beliefs

Immortality of the soul was the basic belief of the Circassians. Upon death, the soul transmigrated to the world beyond, or hedrixe (хьэдрыхэ). To make it to the eternal abode, the deceased was in need of an ample supply of provisions, concomitant wares, and his personal weapons to sustain and protect himself on the perilous trek. One rite in the elaborate burial ceremonies had the kin of the deceased inhume these requirements, which were commensurate with the status of the deceased. Archaeological finds of victuals fit for lavish feasts and impressive arsenals have confirmed this thesis. Ancestor worship was a direct consequence of this credo. It is not clear whether women of the upper classes enjoyed the same exquisite funereal treatment.

Circassians worshipped certain trees, believing that they were inhabited by invisible divinities. There were two deities associated with trees, one male Mezithe (Мэзытхьэ; Forest-god), and another female, Mezgwasche (Мэзгуащэ; Forest-lady). There were sacred groves and shrines in which ceremonies were conducted to propitiate local divinities, procure good weather for the harvest, good luck in expeditions and so on. Thunder and lightning were venerated; the patron of which was Schible (Щыблэ). Some rivers were also considered sacred.

Dancing was believed to have locked powers that might be invoked to ensure success of an undertaking. Disease and injury were considered as the works of evil, so that the sick were blown upon to exorcise the malevolent spirit. Toasts were first uttered as magic invocations and incantations to unlock hidden powers. The wind was thought to have some evil power, hence the adoration of Zchithe (Жьытхьэ) and the rites of supplication associated with him.

Friends and relatives of a person with a bone fracture kept him company and kept him from sleeping by making loud clamour and chanting songs by his bedside. This curious custom, named sch’apsche (щIапщэ), was a relic of animist times, when evil spirits were believed to be waiting for the patient to fall asleep to take possession of his body. A practical benefit of this practice was to ensure that the break did not get worse by the injured assuming a wrong position in his sleep.

Rites & ceremonies

Some social and festal ceremonies, like dance, song, toast making, trace their origins to pre-historic beliefs and are latter-day developments of ancient religious rituals.

It is quite probable that at one time the Circassians had a separate priestly caste that officiated religious services and rites. However, there are no indications that arcane sects nor a power wielding priestly class jealously guarding hidden mysteries inaccessible to the common folk, as was the case in ancient Egypt, ever existed. The oldest partaker, who passed on the knowledge to his lay disciples, performed religious rites.

It was believed that performance of special rites of worship in which supplicants encircle a venerated object, like a holy tree, or a spot stricken by lightning, invoked the resident spirits and unlocked their latent powers. Some accounts tell of solemn processions round a tree with the supplicants carrying torches. These formed a significant part of a complex system of prayers. The most sacred class of dances was called wij (x’wrey) (удж [хъурей]), which was performed by dancers forming a circle round a venerated object. It later turned into a dance performed by couples with music, losing all religious significance. A special dance consecrated to the supreme god, Theshxwe wij (Тхьэшхуэ удж), was executed with the bodies of the participants in compact formation. It was revived recently, but merely as a dance form.

Religious rites were sometimes accompanied by chanting. Songs were intoned during feasts in honour of thunder, during sacrifices and other pagan festivals. When lightning struck a place or an object, a special kind of wij was performed round the stricken spot accompanied by ‘Schible Wered,’ (Щыблэ уэрэд)––‘Song of Lightning.’

Another class of rites of supplication was concerned with prevention of disease. In a curious wedding of superstition and practical nous, small pox was first treated by inoculation, a technique discovered and developed by ancient Circassians in their efforts to spare their beautiful women. Then, so as not to leave any room for chance, the stricken person was placed in a swing and rocked to the accompaniment of a special chant ‘Ziywis-hen,’ (зиусхьэн) ‘Your Lordship,’ which invoked the mercy of the deity of the disease. In the Mesopotamian civilizations that existed about 3,000 BC, swings were thought to have magical and religious properties, suggesting contacts with ancient Circassian cultures.

It is worthwhile to mention that pagan songs, now completely out of use, give us clues as to the concept the ancient Circassians had of the creation and the world. These same songs were adapted twice, in the Christian and Muslim eras, and used to praise the new deities.

A person smitten with lightning was thought to have been ordained by an angel for benediction and a solemn ceremony was conducted in his honour, the parents overjoyed with the new-found status. The crowds would go outside listening to the clamour created by the aerial angel, and if no thunder was heard for some time, prayers would have been said for its return. This is apparently a melange of the ancient ceremony of adoration of Schible (Щыблэ) with a later Christian influx.

Holidays and red-letter days, on which religious ceremonies were held, were usually fixed in the Circassian calendar. Each deity had a day, sometimes more, consecrated to his/her worship. Schible was an exception in that it was not possible to predict lightning strikes, augury and astrology notwithstanding. Sozeresh, for example, was adored on the first three days of spring.



Rites of devotion to specific deities

Adorable deities were represented mainly by effigies made from trees. In times of droughts, a procession carrying an effigy of the goddess of rain, Hentsiygwasche (Хьэнцийгуащэ) or Hentsegwasche (Хьэнцэгуащэ), marched through the stricken village with supplications for rain:





Хьэнцэгуащэ зыдошэрэ!



Хьэнцэгуащэ зыдошэрэ!

Ежьу. Я дэ ди тхьэ, уэшх къегъэщэщэх!



Хьэнцэгуащэ зыдошэрэ!

Ежьу. Я дэ ди тхьэ, уэшх къегъэщэщэх!


Song to Hentsegwasche, the Goddess of Rain:

‘We are escorting Hentsegwasche!’



We are escorting Hentsegwasche!

Chorus: Our Lord, let it pour down from above!



We are escorting Hentsegwasche!

Chorus: Our Lord, let it rain in plenty upon us!





The households along the route poured water on the idol, also exclaiming, ‘Our Lord, let it rain in plenty upon us!’ They donated (uncooked) victuals, such as husked millet, eggs, dried meat, etc, to the procession, which then headed to the river-valley, where the foodstuffs were cooked and consumed whilst prayers were being said. The partakers also performed psixelhafe (псыхэлъафэ), the rite of bathing fully-clothed to call forth the rains. According to Kabardian tradition, the idol was later taken to the village centre, where it was fixed to the ground and the supplicants then performed the dance wij x’wrey (удж хъурей) round it. On that day, it was considered a great sin to appropriate other people’s possessions, and it was strictly forbidden to engage in wineyidzihe (wine-yidzihe; унэидзыхьэ) or k’wese [кIуэсэ], the age-old custom according to which a suitor, with a group of trusted friends, abducted his beloved (with her own assent) from her parent’s house on a set date and time.


The ceremony of worship of Lhepsch consisted of libations over a plough and an axe, symbols of plenty and might, respectively.


For Sozeresh, a pear or hawthorn (кхъужьей е хьэмкIутIей) sapling was cut down in the forest and cleared of all but seven branches (‘seven’ was a particularly significant number in ancient Circassian folklore). Almost all households had such an image. On the day of his festival the effigy was brought inside the house in a grand ceremony (presided over by the newest daughter-in-law) with accompanying music and to cheers from all the members of the family, who complimented him on his arrival after spending the whole year on the surface of the sea. Little candles were stuck to the branches and a piece of cheese was attached to the top. The participants then indulged in revelry in which makhsima (махъсымэ) was had and songs sung. Afterwards, the idol was taken to the yard (and Sozeresh returned to the sea) where it stayed without any mark of reverence until the next holiday.

The rites of worship of the god of crops, Theghelej, had people of both sexes gather in the early hours of the day and start on a procession to the local sacred grove. They took with them an ample supply of victuals and a number of sacrificial animals. Festivities started when they entered the ancient wood. An effigy of the deity in the shape of a cross was placed near one of the most venerated trees in the wood. Prayer chants were intoned in single voice and chorus. The men and women formed a circle round the idol and the sacred dance, wij, was performed solemnly in much the same way it is done today. Couples moved round the icon holding hands, with music and chant in the background. When the effigy had been circumambulated a few times, a new formation was assumed in which all partakers in the dance faced the icon holding hands and lifting them periodically in supplication.

The festival of Zchegwpathe (Жьэгупатхьэ; Jegwpath [Джэгупатхь], in Adigean), patron of the domestic hearth, was celebrated on the first day of January. This was a strictly familial affair, and the special viands were specifically called ‘Xame’wemixwe’ (ХамэIуэмыхуэ; ‘Missing Strangers’). The role of Zchegwpathe was assumed by the most senior (male) family member. To him was consecrated the most prestigious part of the sacrificial animal – the side (дзажэ; dzazhe), smoke-dried in the hearth flue. To Zchegwpathe was devoted the whole established complex of cults connected with initiation of the new bride into her father-in-law’s hearth, the inauguration and upkeep of the hearth-fire, and funeral feasts, and other rites and ceremonies. These cultic rituals are representations of the conception of the Circassians of the soul of their primeval ancestor, Dade. The cult of Dade is still alive, though mainly symbolically, in the Circassian ethos.

Prayers were then taken up by the priest, usually the eldest person in the group, who delivered a sermon that included a homily and thanksgiving for blessings rendered by the god. Next the rite of thelhe’w (тхьэлъэIу) took place. The idol was presented with many culinary offerings, including makhsima [махъсымэ], the national beverage. Animals, such as bulls, rams, lambs, ewes, and goats, were then sacrificed in front of the idol for the purpose of propitiation and propagation of bliss. The priest then distributed the flesh among the worshippers, not forgetting the ill and the poor who were unable to attend. The slaughtered animals were then cooked and feasted upon. The occasion merged solemnity with merry-making in a natural and healthy manner.



Ancestor worship

Ancient Circassians venerated their ancestors, believing in the immortality of the soul. They buried the dead with full panoply of arms and other accoutrements near their sacred groves. Feasts were held annually at certain times in honour of the dead, who were presented with fares in the belief that they maintained their bodily functions and were capable of feeling.

Stemming from ancestor worship was the cult of the hero. Like in Greek religion, some humans of extraordinary abilities were elevated to the rank of gods. Many of the gods associated with the Nart Epos probably started out as human beings. For example, the metallic exploits of Lhepsch engendered universal veneration. Some characters seem to have been stuck between humanity and godliness, having unusual faculties but not really admitted into the Pantheon. In this category may be included Satanay and Sosriqwe. Human and animal bones found in ancient burial grounds provide evidence that the ancestors of the Circassians practised sacrifice, which might have held a special position in ancient proto-religious rites. According to legend, association of human immolation with crop growing, hence bliss, followed the mysterious slaying by Theghelej (Тхьэгъэлэдж) of a man who attacked him and the subsequent sprouting of three corn plants on his grave.



Oaths & vows

Oaths invoking a deity, theri’we (тхьэрыIуэ), were performed in accordance with special rites. Oftentimes these were taken at some wine-drinking festivals, since pledges made facing wine tuns were considered most binding. Contravention of an oath brought everlasting damnation, contempt, and shame, not to say retribution and punishment. In the language of Longworth, if customary law was tyrant, then the oath was the sole monarch to whom all peoples of the Caucasus submitted. ‘His seal it is that confers validity on every compact, social or political. He is the mighty arbiter in all differences...,’ he concluded. In fact, he hinted that the sacredness with which the Circassians held their pledges contributed to some extent towards their downfall at the hands of the more worldly Russians.



Entreaties & toasts

Offerings to deities in form of festive meals, thelhe’w (тхьэлъэIу; entreaty of god), were made to beg for favours, like rain, recovery of the sick, plentifulness, etc. Supplications were incorporated in religious ceremonies.

Snippets of the old beliefs are also to be found in the toasts that are uttered at certain ceremonies and occasions. Toasts were initially invoked to appease the gods and as supplications, among other purposes. Before an important undertaking, toasts were pronounced that invoked the supreme god, Theshxwe:



Our God,

The Greatest One!

Destine it to be in a trice,

Pronounce it to be profitable,

Let it be started with the right hand,

Let it be finished with the left.

Let us reap its fruit with a whole skin,

And let us have it with your blessing!

[7eleven]

[Óttar]

.

Pagans? But you aren't supposed to like them. Shirk!

[StonyArabia]

Pagans? But you aren't supposed to like them. Shirk!

Yes Circassians were pagans until the 19th century the majority, well some were nominally Christians mostly following the rites common in Georgia but never had a strong impact. No not at all, plus this was part of the culture and traditions of my ancestors and I would like to make people know more about it. Since no one talks about it or it's simply forgotten even within the diaspora at the times. Shirk means you making partner to God and not recognizing him, which something totally different.

[Óttar]

Shirk means you making partner to God and not recognizing him, which something totally different.

Bullshit. To the Arabs who sided with Muhammad, any one who associates partners with God in any way is Kafir. Don't give me that double-talk. Your ancestors were pagan? So you mean to say they converted to Islam out of opportunism? Hmmm.

Islam killed people merely because they refused to be in your cult, and bow to your jealous, dickhead god. Admit it. For what I speak is the truth, in the eyes of all honest men.

[StonyArabia]

Bullshit. To the Arabs who sided with Muhammad, any one who associates partners with God in any way is Kafir. Don't give me that double-talk. Your ancestors were pagan? So you mean to say they converted to Islam out of opportunism? Hmmm.

They converted because the Crimean Tatar missionaries brought it, and the people converted by their own will to Islam. I don't think it's Opportunism, many converted because they wanted alternative faith and Islam seemed to mesh well with the Circassians. That said Islam was freely adopted and it was not forced.

Islam killed people merely because they refused to be in your cult, and bow to your jealous, dickhead god. Admit it. For what I speak is the truth, in the eyes of all honest men.

That's not true at all. Circassians converted to Islam by their own will, and many did. The Nabateans converted to Islam out of their own will, and the people of Maan in Southern Jordan converted to Islam by their own will since their governor converted to Islam by his own will Farwa Ibn Al-Judhmi, The Persian governor of Yemen converted out of his own will. The list goes on. This is different topic anyways and has nothing to do with the subject at hand. God has no form in Islam, and this more nonsense often said about it by people who don't know.

[7eleven]

Typical Circassian:

[Root]