The spirits grow restless... in order to continue your journey to becoming a revered immortal, you must learn about the creatures who live in darkness.
This book is a collection of information revolving around creatures and well-known myths from Asi...
Georgia is a country in the Caucasus of south-western Asia, sitting along the coast of the Black Sea around where Europe and Asia meet. Because of its history and diversity, Georgia is home to many fascinating languages and dialects where a total of fourteen languages are spoken with the most widely spoken being Georgian. Other common languages include English, Russian, Assyrian, Svan, and Urum among other languages.
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(Kartuli written with Georgian Script)
The religions that can be found in that country are Georgian Orthodoxy, Armenian Othodoxy, Islam, Armenian Orthodoxy and Catholicism. These religions have also influenced Georgia's mythology and legends with many preserved as popular tales that fascinate many even today. However, in this article we are going to take a look at the country's pre-Christian mythology, the mythology of the Kartvelian people focusing on its gods, goddesses and mythical creatures.
According to old Georgian mythology, the world is a sphere that is divided into three levels with each level representing a realm of the world of their own. These realms are known as sknel and each have their own ambient and population according to their mythology.
-The highest world or zeskneli is above the earth and is populated by the gods;
-The lowest world or qveskneli is below the earth and is the netherworld populated by demons and evil spirits;
-Between these two worlds in the earthly world with humans, animals, plants, etc.
The three vertical worlds are separated by ether but they are connected by the Tree of Life that grows on the edge of the universe; in some versions, a tower, chain or pillar depending on which version of the myth is taken in account. But all have one thing in common, the variety of gods and goddesses that live on these realms.
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DEITIES
Below you can find a list of Georgian gods and goddesses that can be found in these myths:
Adgilis Deda (ადგილის დედა) – A goddess of fertility and livestock revered by the inhabitants of the mountainous areas of northeastern Georgia (such as Khevsureti) as the patroness of certain places and of travellers. She is portrayed as a beautiful lady with silver jewellery. She later became associated with the Virgin Mary when the area was converted to Christianity. Her name means "Mother of Locality".
Ainina and Danina (აინინა და დანინა) – A pair of goddesses who are mentioned in The Conversion of Kartli and the mediaeval Georgian Chronicles.
Apsat (აფსათი) – A male god of birds and animals in Svan mythology.
Armazi (არმაზი) – Chief of the gods; central figure in the official religion of (Caucasian) Iberia (= Kartli) established by King Pharnavaz I of Iberia (4th century BC). According to the Life of Saint Nino an immense statue of Armazi – along with images of other deities and the temple that housed them – was destroyed by a storm of giant hailstones raised by the prayers of Saint Nino. Armazi is also the name of an ancient fortress near Mtskheta that dates from the same period. Various complementary strands of research suggest that the origins of this deity lie in a syncretism between conceptions of the Zoroastrian supreme being Ahura Mazda (Armenian: 'Aramazd') and a native Georgian supreme lunar deity (see also Tetri Giorgi below) – a regional variant of the Hittite moon god Arma.
