On the genesis of the plots and images of the ethnogonic legends of the ancient Nomads: Scythians, Alans, ancient Turks

The publication is devoted to the study of the genesis of ethnogonic representations of the ancient nomads of the Great Steppe. The research reveals the main plots and images, each of which has its own semantic specifics. For example, the main thing in the ethnogonic myths of the European Scythians and ancient Turks was the plot of the union of the heavenly ancestor-deity with the earthly ancestor-deity. A similar motif could be reflected in the religion of the Turkic-speaking nomads, known in modern scientific literature as Tengrism– the cult of the Tengri Sky. On the other hand, in the spiritual culture of some nomadic peoples, such as the Usuni, Massageti, and Alans, the Iranian–speaking ancestors of the Ossetians, the main role was played by Mithraic motifs associated with the solar cult, reflected in the ethnogonic representations of these peoples. Such ethnogonic myths were primarily related to the origin of the ruling families of ancient societies. It was common for the leaders and rulers of antiquity to trace their ancestry back to the heavenly deities. The plots and motifs of the genealogical myths are reflected in the applied art of the ancient nomads, for example, in the “Scythian animal style”. In the process of cultural interaction between nomadic peoples, various deities could merge into syncretic images, hence the emergence of corresponding religious cults. In some modern publications, there has been a tendency to combine the ethnic origin of the Scythians, Alans and ancient Turks. Without touching on all the material related to this topic, we will focus only on those phenomena that are associated with the ethnogonic representations of nomadic peoples, approaching the issue of ethnocultural proximity through their comparison. Naturally, it is impossible to cover all the relevant content in one article.