The folklore of the Circassians and Circassians originates from the Narta (Narta) epic and includes such forms as songs, fairy tales, proverbs, riddles, tongue twisters and chastooshkas.
The Nart epic as a source of folk art unites almost all the national cultures of the North Caucasus and reflects the national character of all the inhabitants of the region.
Poetic works of Adygea
The basis of many forms of folklore is poetry. The poetic works of Adygea that have come down to us are a storehouse of popular wisdom, a stimulus for wonderful deeds and an igniter of strong feelings. Circassian poetry is a reflection of the national character of almost all the peoples of the North Caucasus.
In the content of poetic works, we observe the display of the most important events, themes, life problems and manifestations of love for the motherland on the example of legends about heroes - narts. Legends about Badynoko, Uazrmes, Ashamez, Sosruko, Batarez, Tlepshe, girls Melechipkha, Kuytsuk, Shauei, Dahanago and some others have reached our days. The heroes of narts are shown as hard-working, savvy and indomitable people, fearless defenders of their homeland, sincerely and deeply loving their native places.
A typical hero of the epic is Badynoko, the bravest and stern warrior, defender of the homeland and the threat of the Chints - the eternal enemies of the Narts. Another hero, Tlepsh, is the creator of the first blacksmith tools - pliers, hammer, sickle and anvil. The poetic symbol of happiness is the girl Dahanago, who lived on a high mountain peak. Many tried to take possession of her, but they all died because they craved power more than sincere open love. In general, a woman in the Nart epic is a teacher of heroic heroes, a loving and caring mother, a faithful assistant and friend of the head of the family, as well as a wise adviser.
The world of songs of the Circassians and Circassians is also diverse. Among them you can hear heroic - historical, lyrical and love songs, songs about the labor milestones of heroes, dance songs, wedding songs and many others. Fortunately, these songs have survived to this day and are often performed at family and community holiday events.
Ritual folklore of the Circassians
The ritual folklore of the Circassians is well known. These are songs dedicated to family events, songs - spells against illnesses and injuries, songs - appeals to angels and patrons, funeral songs. An interesting layer of so-called work songs reflects the peculiarities of the lifestyle and work of the Circassian ancestors. These are songs of plowmen and shepherds, songs about blacksmithing and weaving, songs of cattle drivers and millers. In historical Adyghe songs one can clearly trace episodes of the history of the region, as well as the period of struggle of the Circassians during the conquest of the Caucasus.
Adygean tales and proverbs
Adyghe tales are unique and interesting in their own way, which can be divided into riddle tales, mythical tales, tales about animals and so-called legal educational tales. Animals in these tales are gifted with the ability to think, talk and generally live like humans. The most famous of them is the fairy tale “About the Hare, the Fox and the Wolf.” The Circassians have many legal and educational tales: “About the Son of the Old Khan and the Dragon”, “Little Tram”, “Evil Woman”, “The Hunter and the Goblin”, “The Hedgehog and the Bear”. All of them are about the struggle of light forces with dark ones and have great moralizing significance. The value of Circassian fairy tales also lies in the fact that in them good always triumphs over evil.
The unusual form of fairy tales, mysteries, among which are popular to this day such as "The betrothal of the girl", "The girl and the groom", "Sewing or just winding?", "Raksmeys and his mother."
Particularly colorful and capacious Circassian proverbs. They always point aptly at the traits, characters and morals of people, and often they are aphoristic and metaphorical. Judge for yourself: “Who is not noticed, he coughs,” “If you are right, you are strong,” “Better good weapons than a bad companion,” “The foot is always laughing at the rider,” “Where there are no good old people, there are no good youth ".
The folklore heritage of the ancient Circassians is alive today, it is embodied in what we call the Adyg education and the Adyg culture. And the most important thing is that this culture is not forgotten, and many people remember and honor the traditions of a calm, peaceful and freedom-loving people.
