Comics adapted from the Nart sagas of the Caucasus. Email the author.
Hi! As promised, here’s the first in what I hope will be a series of quickies adapted from ancient Nart legends of the Caucasus.
This first story, which I’ll post over the next few weeks, introduces probably the two most important characters in the Nart cycle: Setenaya (a.k.a. Shatana, Satanay, Seteney, Psatina) the crafty, powerful matriarch of the Nart clan; and her adopted/bastard son Sozruquo (a.k.a. Shoshlan, Sosruko, Sosriqwe), the popular hero who embodies traits of both the noble warrior and outcast trickster figure.
A note on the adaptation: the tales in the Nart cycle are told by speakers of various languages and dialects, none of which are written in the Latin alphabet. Many of the stories, characters, and especially spellings exist in multiple competing versions passed down by different bards.
I’ve chosen a mix-and-match approach, stitching together threads from different sources when I feel it enriches the narrative to do so. I can only beg forgiveness from any readers offended by me splashing a bit of Ossetian myth into their Circassian saga or vice-versa.
On to the comics!