Semantics of the Tsyrt-Obelisk of the Sacred Mihdau Reserve

Abstract

The proposed article is devoted to the study of the semantics of tsyrts – vertical slabs dug into the ground-steles, of varying degrees of processing, or obelisks built of stone, which collectively date from the Late Middle Ages to the beginning of the XX century. Until recently, it was believed that all of them are funerary or memorial in nature, but recent studies have shown another purpose of these monuments. Part of the tsyrts-steles was erected to delimit the territory - both sacred spaces and farmlands. The conclusions made are confirmed by folklore materials and linguistics data. Of particular interest is a small group of early tsyrts-obelisks, the semantics of which has not yet been studied. Almost all of them are laid out of treated stone on lime mortar and covered with lime plaster or coating. They are located in cemeteries, near temples or in an open area. The analysis of these monuments allows us to conclude that their semantics are in the paradigm of the three-level Indo-Iranian worldview, characteristic of the Scythian-Alanian tradition. The examination of one of the most striking monuments of this type, the tsyrt-obelisk of the sacred reserve of Mikhdau (Ursdon village, Alagirsky district of the RNO-Alania), showed that in the hierotopia of this religious complex, this tsyrt symbolizes the heavenly gatekeeper, located on the border between the human and celestial spheres, on the way of worshippers to the temple. The reserve itself is marked with a three-stage rock, symbolizing the World Mountain.