Крилатий кабан: образ на перетині скіфської, іранської та давньогрецької міфологій

Abstract

The gold plates adorning women’s headdresses were found in the Scythian elite mounds of the 4th century BC Tovsta Mohyla and Chortomlyk. The plates recreate the same plots: the scene of two griffins attacking a deer and the confrontation between a fantastic winged boar and a predator resembling a lion. The image of a winged boar is rare in Scythian times. In addition to the above, a small series of images of a protome of a wild boar with wings is known. These are gold plates originating from the 2nd Seven-Brotherhood mound (Kuban region) of the second half of the 5th century BC and Kul-Oba mound (Crimea) in the middle of the 4th century BC. Researchers have suggested that these images are borrowed from Greek coins of the second half of the 6th – 5th centuries BC. Coins with the embossed image of a protome of a wild boar with wings were found in several regions of ancient Greece: on the islands of Rhodes, Lesbos, Samos, in the cities of the west coast of Asia Minor Cyzicus and Klazomenai, and in the state of Lydia. It is noteworthy that these are the regions that were in contact with the Persian state of the Achaemenids. The image of a winged boar is not known in Greek mythology, and the boar in myths often appears as a cruel creature of Chaos, with which the heroes come into battle. Instead, in the ancient Iranian tradition, the boar is one of the incarnations of the god of war and victory Verethragna. He, in particular, is mentioned in Yashts. The description of the boar does not mention the wings, but speaks of its free movement in space. The notion of such a movement could have influenced the appearance of images of a winged boar. Thus, the image of a winged boar on the coins of Greek cities appeared under a certain influence of the Iranian tradition. The Scythians also represented the god of war and victory (known only by the Greek name – Ares) as a boar. This is evidenced by the images on the scabbards of swords and gorytos. And so the image of a winged boar, most likely, was a reproduction of this god. The scene of the confrontation between a wild boar and a predator on plates from the Tovsta Mohyla mound and Chortomlyk mound is located next to the scene of the griffins attacking the deer. Such scenes reproduced the idea of sacrifice for the sake of future revival. The scene of the confrontation may also be related to the idea of overcoming death and the triumph of life.