The hidden meaning of Ossetian tales suggests that wisdom has no boundaries. It penetrates through centuries and peoples, enriching the human experience. These tales teach us to appreciate the world we live in and the people we share it with.
Ossetian fairy tales are a symbol of how culture can be a bridge connecting different eras and peoples. They show that wisdom and knowledge are what make us truly human, and that they should be preserved and passed on to future generations.
Ossetian tales and fairy tales are rich in a variety of characters, each with a unique role and meaning. The main characters are aldars (wise elders or ancestors who often act as mentors and counselors. They symbolize a connection to the past and the transmission of knowledge), animals (in Ossetian tales, animals often have human traits and wisdom. They can be helpers of the heroes or even bearers of important messages), wizards and sorcerers (characters represent knowledge of secret sciences and magic. They can both help the heroes and become a source of trials), warrior heroes (brave and strong characters who protect their people and demonstrate valor and honor), nymphs and nature spirits (mystical beings who represent the forces of nature and can both help and hinder the heroes), giants and monsters (trials for the heroes, symbolizing the overcoming of difficulties and inner fears), and ordinary people (peasants, artisans, who represent everyday life and often become unexpected heroes of fairy tales). Each character contributes to the development of the plot and the education of the listener or reader, as they help to convey the deep meaning embedded in the tales, making them a valuable source of knowledge and life lessons.
Ossetian tales and myths have much in common with Iranian, Indian and European traditions, reflecting common archetypes and motifs that are common to many cultures. Let us present just a few of these similarities:
Heroic figures: All these traditions have heroes who perform feats and protect their people, reminiscent of Rustam from the Iranian epic “Shahnameh” or bogatyrs from Slavic mythology.
Wise elders: Characters like Aldars in Ossetian tales are similar to the sages and mentors of other cultures, such as Vasishtha in Indian epics or Merlin in English legends.
Mystical creatures: Nymphs and nature spirits resemble characters from Greek mythology and European fairy tales, as well as apsaras from Indian mythology.
Villains and monsters: The giants and monsters that appear in Ossetian tales have analogs in the myths of the Cyclopes, the demon Rakshasas and various European dragons and trolls.
These similarities point to common human themes and universal stories that resonate across cultures despite geographic and language barriers. Characters and plots reflect universal values, fears, hopes and dreams that are part of the human experience around the world.
Let's quickly familiarize ourselves with our fairy tales!
How a mouse got married
Once upon a time, there was a mouse. It occurred to him to get married. He was very proud, so all mouse girls seemed unworthy to him. He was looking for the daughter of someone stronger than him.
So he went to the Moon, about whom it was said that there was no one stronger than him in the world.
– “Moon!”, – he said to him. “I am looking for the daughter of the strongest man in the world. They say in our land that there is no one stronger than you, and I would like to be related to you.”
– “Yes”, – the Moon answered to him. “I am strong beyond words, and there is no place or nook on earth where my light does not penetrate when I walk across the sky at night. But when the Sun rises in the morning, my light gradually dims and finally disappears. Only in the evening, when the Sun goes down and its light ceases to shine on the earth, does my power return to me and I illuminate the vast earth again. No, mouse, the Sun will be stronger than me: go to him!”
So the mouse went to the Sun.
– “Sun”, – she said to him. “I am looking for the daughter of the strongest man in the world to marry. And there is a rumor that you are the strongest in the world. Will you give your daughter for me?”
– “It is true that I am strong and powerful”, – replied the Sun. “And when I rise in the morning, the darkness of the night dissipates without a trace. The stars and the Moon himself do not dare to shine in my presence, their light on earth fades before my light, and they cannot be seen at that time from the earth. But there is someone stronger than me. It is the cloud that obscures my light, that shuts out the earth from me. So go to the cloud.”
So, the mouse went to the cloud and made his proposal. The cloud thought about it and said:
– “It was truly said by the Sun: his light is strong, and the stars and the Moon pale before him, but it cannot shine on the earth when I cover the sky with a great carpet, and it cannot be seen then. But neither can I resist the wind. When it blows, it tears me to shreds and scatters me across the sky… No, the wind is stronger than me!”
So the mouse went to the wind. But even the wind did not recognize himself as the strongest.
– “It is true”, – he said. “I'm strong and I can destroy a cloud with a single blow. But there's someone stronger than me. There are bulls in the field: even if there are only a couple of them, I can't do anything to them. Calmly, peacefully they walk down the lane as if they don't feel me. They'll be stronger than me.”
The mouse turned to the bulls. The bulls told her:
– “We are strong, but sometimes the plow can overpower us when it gets caught on something in the ground. And even when the master harnesses four more pairs to us, even then we can't do anything. The plow is stronger than us.”
The mouse went to the plow. The plow said to her:
– “It is true that I am strong, and I cut the damp earth without any difficulty. But there is one root that often stops me, and I cannot cut it. Go therefore, mouse, to him, he is much stronger than I.”
The mouse had to turn to the root.
– “Yes, I am strong”, – replied the root. “And the plow cannot cut me another time. But a mouse, even the smallest one, can chew me up very easily. So the mice are stronger than me.”
– “Aha!” – exclaimed the mouse. “So, there's no one stronger than us, mice!”
So he married a simple mouse.
The goat and the hare
Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. They had a daughter. They had only one goat out of their livestock.
One day the old man left home and instructed his daughter to take the goat to the steppe and graze her to its fullest.
The girl drove the goat to the steppe, grazed her and then brought her home. In the evening the old man asked the goat how she had been grazing. The goat answered that it was bad. Then the old man sent his daughter away from home.
The next day the old man gave his wife the task of grazing the goat. She drove the goat, grazed her and brought her home in the evening. The old man asked the goat how she had been grazed. She said that the old woman had grazed her in a bad manner too. The old man chased his wife out of the house.
On the third day the old man changed his clothes and sent the goat to graze. He grazed her well, and the goat ate enough grass. In the evening he brought the goat home, dressed in his old clothes and asked the goat how the old man had grazed him. The goat said about the old man that he had grazed her in a bad manner too and she had not had enough grass.
So, the old man tied the goat with ropes and went out to sharpen his knife to slaughter her. While he was sharpening the knife, the goat broke the ropes and ran into the forest. In the forest the goat went into the hare's house and climbed on the stove. In the evening the hare came home, saw the goat and was afraid to enter the house. He sat down at the threshold and began to cry.
A bear passed