The properties of the ethnophore in the context of historical transformations of the traditional Ossetian subculture of Lӕgdzinad

In the article, the characteristics of the Ossetian ethnophore are subjected to a purposeful analysis in the context of the traditional male subculture and taking into account the factor of historical variability. The article consists of two parts. The first part, based on written sources and folklore texts, examines the value sphere, ideology, moral base, and communicative programs of the traditional male subculture of Ossetians in the aspect of historical retrospect. The second part, based entirely on empirical material (the results of a survey conducted in 2022-2023 among ethnic Ossetians of different ages), contains an analysis of modern forms of implementation of the ancient Lægzinad. The author turns to the ethnographic content of various aspects of the traditional male subculture of Ossetians, then to their actual modern embodiment and reveals the degree of participation of various components of the peculiar “code of man” in the subjective interpretation of modern life of this ethnic group. It is revealed that the specific values, moral attitudes and communicative programs that make up the ideals of the ethnic personality of Ossetians are closely related to the Lægdzinad. Despite certain losses inherent in the processes of social evolution (they are named in the study), the values of the Lægdzinad male subculture have still not lost their authentic meanings and continue to influence the concept of the “face” of the modern ethnophore-Ossetian. The male subculture of the Lægdzinad, with all its accompanying ethical and communicative programs, symbols and ideology, forms the basic concept of the ethnomentality of Ossetians and is still present in the subjective interpretation of life of this ethnic group.