Amjad M. Jaimoukha
Scratch any site in Circassia and you will discover a great archæological story. We set out to discover the connection between ’Ediyixw Tower in Circassia and the mythical Nart personage of the same name. In the process we stumbled upon a fascinating ancient town that goes back some two millennia.
’Ediyixw Tower in Circassia.
Location & structure
’Ediyixw Tower (Iэдииху чэщанэ) is found on a rocky cliff on the right bank of the Little Zelenchuk River, between the village of Heghwndiqwey (Aliy-Beirdiqwe) and the town of Hebez, in the Hebez District of the Karachai-Cherkess Republic. It was erected in the 1760s by the Kabardian prince Temriyk Aji-Bamat. It served as a sanctuary from attacks and to detain prisoners.
’Ediyixw towers over the Little Zelenchuk River.
The tower is a five-storey rectangular structure of bricks and mortar that tapers upwards. The first floor had no windows or doors, and was used to store food and water to withstand extended siege periods, and to lock down prisoners. Access to the first floor was through an opening from the second floor, which in turn could only be accessed using ladders. The third floor had windows and loop-holes (openings to shoot projectiles at enemy) in the eastern wall. The fourth and fifth storeys were accessible through holes in the floors. The top (fifth) floor was used as an observation post. In popular culture, this tower has been associated with the Nart personage ’Ediyixw.
The imposing 'Ediyixw Tower.
Nogmov’s description
According to Shora Nogmov: “Between the Kuban and Zelenchuk rivers there are brick structures on top of a dominating height named 'Adiykh'... These, according to legend, were abodes of priests.” Nogmov explained “Adiykh” as “Ade” ["адэ"]=father, forefather, and "’wexw" ["Iуэху"]=work, to give “Work of the Ancestors”. In the early 1950s archæologists found the remains of a Christian church and a cemetery in the area of the ’Ediyixw Tower, giving credence to (a part of) Nogmov's account. Nogmov does not associate the tower with the Nart personage.
'Ediyixw Tower, a popular touristic site in Circassia.
Nearby is found the 'Ediyixw tourist complex and spa.
Archæology is king!
The plot thickened and the account assumed deeper significance as we came across serious archæological works dedicated to the ancient settlement of ’Ediyixw on the site of the famed tower established in the early Middle Ages. It started off as a pagan centre, then transformed into a Christian complex in the 10-12 centuries AD, apparently a period of Christian ebullience in the Northwest Caucasus. (See “59. Adiykh” pp. 55-57 in E. P. Alekseeva, “Archæological Monuments of Karachai-Cherkessia”, Moscow: Nauka, 1992. [http://apsnyteka.org/file/alekseeva_e__arheologicheskie_pamiatniki_karachaevo_cherkesii.pdf])
'Ediyixw Tower from the inside.
Nart Mythology: ’Ediyixw and Nart Psebide
’Ediyixw [Iэдииху] and her husband Nart Psebide (Псэбыдэ) lived in harmony and cornucopia for some time by pooling their extra-ordinary talents. Psebide (literally: “Hardy of Soul”, “Tenacious of Life”; псэ [pse]=soul; быдэ [bide]=strong, hardy) embarked on plundering campaigns across the Yinzhij River [Инжыдж; Zelenchuk River, a left tributary of the Kuban (Псыжь; Psizch)] to rustle horses, and other plunder. He was very successful in this pursuit, for, besides his bravery, he was helped by the magic of his wife, who, from the safety of her high tower, flashed her forearm to turn night into day when her husband returned from his expeditions [’Ediyixw: Iэдий (’ediy)=forearm and wrist; ху (xw)=white], and extended her sleeve into a bridge, thus affording him safe passage across the raging river, and a tremendous advantage over his hapless adversaries.
'Ediyixw flashes her arm to light the way for her husband
and his plunder of horses and extends her magic sleeve as a bridge.
However, this state of bliss was not destined to last for long. We learn in the tale “Meeting of Sosriqwe and ’Ediyixw” [The Narts, Nalchik, pp 124 ff.] that the self-conceit of Psebide prevented him from acknowledging the help of his wife. A single word of gratitude would have been enough to appease ’Ediyixw. But, no! Psebide was blinded by his arrogance and swagger and refused to admit her equal role in the acquisition of their wealth, which eventually caused her to withhold the light of her hand and her magic sleeve, which he had previously used to gain advantage over his adversaries, and thus obtain great plunder. After a lengthy and tortuous adventure sans the light of his wife’s arm, the obstinate Nart found his agonizing death in the River Yinzhij, which he thought he could cross without his wife’s magic, foolishly equating himself with Mighty Sosriqwe, who possessed the ability to cross the treacherous and violent river without difficulty.
'Ediyixw and Sosriqwe. After the demise of heartless Psebide,
Sosriqwe fell in love with the Nart beauty.
[Artist Felix M. Petuvash]
Just after his death, ’Ediyixw learned the shocking fact that her ex-husband was not only self-conceited, but that he was narcissistic, and that he had never loved her. As she made to undo the majestic tumulus she erected on his grave, Sosriqwe stopped her saying, “You toiled to build it, now, it’s not worth the bother removing it.” The lifeless dark mound was left as a stark reminder of the fate of self-centred people.