Lightning, Sacrifice, and Possession in the Traditional Religions of the Caucasus (Continued from Anthropos 99.2004: 143-159) Author(s): Kevin Tuite Source: Anthropos, Bd. 99, H. 2. (2004), pp. 481-497 Published by: Anthropos Institute Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40466394 . Accessed: 18/08/2011 08:53 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Anthropos Institute is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Anthropos. http://www.jstor.org H anthropos Γα! 99.2004:481-497 Lightning,Sacrifice, and Possession in the TraditionalReligions of the Caucasus (Continuedfrom Anthropos 99.2004: 143-159) Kevin Tuite Abstract. - In many communitiesof the West Caucasus, Slavic languages(such as Russiankupat') mean lightning-strikevictims were regarded with particularawe, "baptize,"also "bathe,dunk in water."The use and a dance was performedaround their bodies duringwhich of this root to Johnthe in the name of one or anothergod is uttered,along with the designate Baptist mysteriousvocable coppa. Data concerningthis ritualwill be Slavic seemsstraightforward, butthe Kupala cer- framedin an analysis of the representationsof possession, emonyhas relativelylittle to do withthe bibli- sacrifice,and, in general, the appropriationof people or cal desertprophet. In ruralRussia, Ukraine, and animals by divine beings in traditionalCaucasian religious Belorussia,the festivalis markedby the light- thought.Certain features of the religiousthought of the Pshavs of bonfires in some areas and Khevsurs of the northeastGeorgian highlands will be ing (called kupalo compared and contrastedwith those of the peoples of the [Ivanovand Toporov1974: 224]), whichyoung West Caucasus. [Caucasus, Pshav-Khevsureti,lightning-strike people jump across,and the makingof simple victims,sacrifice, possession] strawdolls, whichare eitherburnt in the bon- fireor thrownin theriver 1987:127- Kevin TWte, Ph.D. (Chicago 1988) in Linguisticsfrom the (Rybakov Universityof Chicago; since 1991 Prof,of Ethnolinguisticsin 129,153-155; 1994:326 f.).The dollsas wellare theDepartment of Anthropologyof theUniversité de Montréal. calledkupa(j)lo ("solomennoe chuchelo, szhigae- - Since 1985 linguisticand ethnographicfieldwork in the Re- moe 1959: - v'lvanovskujunoch"'[Preobrazhenskij public of Georgia on numerousoccasions. Publicationsin- 414; cp. Zelenin1991: 396-399]); thepurpose of clude: KartvelianMorphosyntax (Munich 1998); Ethnolinguis- themin the riveris eitherto ward off ticsand AnthropologicalTheory (co-editor. Montréal: in press); tossing CurrentTrends in Caucasian, East European,and InnerAsian drought,or to predictwhence a girl'sfuture hus- Linguistics(co-editor. Amsterdam: in press) and various arti- bandwill come (from the direction toward which cles in Journalof Indo-EuropeanStudies, Lingua, Anthropo- the doll floats[Propp 1963:83]). In a detailed logical Linguistics,Historio graphia Linguistica(see also Ref- and of the erencesCited). richly-documentedstudy symbolism associatedwith the Ivan Kupala festival,Ivanov andToporov (1974: 217-242; 1991c)demonstrate thatthe figure of Ivan Kupala,like othermytho- 3 Slavic Kupala and Georgian K'op'ala logicalpersonages across Central-Eastern Europe andWestern Asia namedafter John the Baptist or 3.1 East Slavic Kupala and His Antecedents theprophet Elijah, is the superficiallyChristian- ized avatarof thestorm and lightning god known The East Slavic summerfestival of Ivan Kupala to manyIndo-European-speaking peoples. Elijah's takesplace on the eve of the feastday of St. allegedability to cause droughtand rain (1 Kings Johnthe Baptist (23-24 June,O. S.). Old Church 17: 1-18: 46), call downlightning from heaven to Slavic kõpatiand its descendentsin the modern consumehis sacrifice (1 Kings18: 38) anddestroy 482 KevinTuite his adversaries(2 Kings1:9-14), and finallyhis old Lithuanianfolk beliefs that lightning could assumptionto heavenin a chariotof fire(2 Kings begetchildren where it struck(Nagy 1990:196- 2: 11 f.) made him perfectlysuitable for super- 201; cp. Puhvel1989: 226 f.). The Latviandeity positiononto the role of a lightningand storm Perkonswas believedto assureabundant crops of god. On the basis of traditionand a handfulof grains,especially rye, barley, and hops (Biezais indicationsin theBible (Mark8: 28, 9: 12f.; John 1975:342 f.). In otherIndo-European traditions as 1:25; Luke 1: 17; Matthew11: 13f., 17: 10-12), well, stormgods were invokedfor rain and/or Johnwas widelyregarded in popularChristianity good harvests(e. g., ScandinavianThor as patron as theprophet Elijah returned to earth(Averincev of cereals),and to insurefertility (Indra bringer 1991). of"prosperity, harvest, longevity, masculine force, Associatedwith the numerous past and contem- wealth,livestock" [Toporov 1991]). porarymanifestations of the Indo-European storm Returningto the Caucasus,we findparallels godare such motifs as thesymbolic conjunction or to componentsof the Indo-Europeanstorm god oppositionof fire and water; patronage of fertility, complex in Ossetic religion,where one would especiallygrain production; and a mythiccycle expectto findthem, and in neighboringtraditions. featuringthe storm god and a serpentor monster, TheOssetic Wacilla, as Dumézilhas demonstrated, whichthe god defeatsin orderto releaselivestock continuesnumerous features shared by Indo-Eu- or waterfor the benefit of humansociety. (This ropeanwar-and-storm deities such as Indraand lattertale is consideredby Ivanovand Toporov Thor.25In additionto purelymeteorological func- [1991b],and also by Lincoln[1981], as one of tions,Wacilla is celebratedin Osseticfolklore as the foundationalmyths of earlyIndo-European a slayerof demonsand protectorof people and social ideology.)The pre-Christianantecedant of livestockagainst evil spirits.In particular,the Os- IvanKupala among the Slavs was mostlikely the setes would invokehim each New Year's Eve stormdeity known as Perum*in the Old Rus- forprotection against the kurysdzœutœ,danger- sian chronicles.By name,function, and symbol- ous spiritswho ruleover the kurys, "une prairie ism Slavic Perun'L·has been linkedby scholars to an ancientcluster of significationsand motifs 25 Certainfeatures of Wacilla,as well as of theNart hero attachedto the Indo-Europeanroot *per-(kw)-u- Batradz,have been traced back by Dumézil to the unnamed "strike."Reflexes of thisroot appear in various Scythiandeity glossed by Herodotusas "Ares"(Dumézil with 1978:19-90). A templededicated to himstood "in every Indo-Europeanlanguages meaningsincluding each consistedin a vast of wood "stormand "oak district"; temple pile lightninggod" (Balto-Slavic), (a scarcecommodity in the steppes),"having a square tree"(Latin quercus; possibly Celtic [hjercynia; platformon thetop." "An antiqueiron sword is planted notealso the locationof pagan Slavic sanctuar- on thetop of everysuch mound: it servesas theimage of ies to Perum*in oak groves);"lightning" (Baltic Ares.Annual sacrifices of cattle and of horses are made to one ofGreek kerau- it,and in greaternumbers than to all of theother gods." perkunas' possibleetymology Furthermore,one of everyhundred prisoners of warwas nós)' "mountain,rock" (Hittite, Indie).24 In tradi- immolatedat thetemple of Ares,and theirblood poured tionalBaltic and Slavic religion,as reconstructed overthe sword. These human sacrifices concluded with a by Ivanov and Toporov(1991a, 199If), Jakob- macabrebut intriguing gesture: "the right hands and arms son andPuhvel of the slaughteredprisoners are cut off,and tossedup (1985a, 1985b), (1989:222-238), intothe air. Thenthe other victims are and those Perkunas-Peruni>had of theattributes of a slain, many who have offeredthe sacrificedepart, leaving the arms chiefgod, either in his own rightor as principal wherethey fell, and the bodies also, separate" (Herodotus representativeofan invisibleand unreachable deus HistoryIV, 59-62). Someof these details, in my view, may otiosus.As recentlyas 1734,the semipagan Baits finddistant parallels in thecult of OsseticWacilla. The celebratedthe cult of their Swats platformset atopthe mound of wood in Ares' "temple" lightninggod may be continuedby the platformused in the choppa Parkauns("Saint Perkunas") on thefeast day of ceremonies;the pouring of blood over the sword might also Johnthe Baptist(Biezais 1975:341). Elliptical be historicallylinked to thewidespread Caucasian practice Greekreferences to the belief,already archaic ofstretching ofthe skin of the sacrificed goat on a wooden and discreditedin classical thathumans pole plantednext to theplatform. There are of courseno times, directmodern correlates of the human sacrifices ascribed to "fromoak or fromstone" druós originated (apd theScythians by Herodotus, but an echomay be discerned . apò pétre:s[Odyssey Τ 162]), attestto the in thetraditional West Caucasian interpretation of death associationof *per-(kw)-u-with fertility, as do the fromlightning-strike as tantamount to sacrifice at the god's initiative.The throwingof theslain warrior's arms in the air - as well as theleaving of theircorpses on thespot 24 Gamkrelidzeand Ivanov 1984: 792-794; Ivanovand