Ossetian mythology

Deities

• Hutsau or Xucau (Iron Ossetic: Хуыцау, Хуцау, romanized: Xwycaw, Xucaw). The chief of the gods.
• Uastyrdzhi or Wasgergi (Iron Ossetic: Уастырджи, Уасгерги, romanized: Wastyrdži, Wasgergi), also known as Lagtydzuar or Lagdzuar, more rarely as Uastylag. Named after Saint George, he is the patron of males and travellers, and the guarantor of oaths. Main patron of North Ossetia–Alania.
• Uacilla (Iron Ossetic: Уацилла, Уацелла, Елиа, romanized: Wacilla, Wacella, Elia). Named after Saint Elijah, also spelled Watsilla. God of rain, thunder and lightning. As protector of the harvest he is known as Хоры Уацилла (Hory Uacilla, "Uacilla of the wheat"). Anyone struck by lightning was considered chosen by the god and, if they survived, a sheep was sacrificed in their honour. His festival was celebrated in the summer with the sacrifice of a lamb and a bull and the drinking of specially brewed beer. On that day women baked bread in silence as a mark of reverence.
• Safa (Iron Ossetic: Сафа, romanized: Safa). God of the hearth chain. The most important domestic deity for Ossetians.
• Donbettyr (Iron Ossetic: Донбеттыр, Донбеттæр, romanized: Donbettyr, Donbettær). Lord of the waters. He is named after Saint Peter, and is a fusion of the Ossetian don (meaning water) and Peter. He uses his chain to drag down those who unwarily go swimming too late to his realm at the bottom of the sea. He has many beautiful daughters, comparable to the Rusalki of Slavic mythology. Up to the 19th century, his day was celebrated on the Saturday following Easter by young girls.
• Dzerassae (Iron Ossetic: Дзерассæ, romanized: Dzerassæ), one of Donbettyr's daughters, the mother of many Nart heroes.
• Tutyr (Iron Ossetic: Тутыр, Тотур, romanized: Tutyr, Totur). Named after Saint Theodore of Tyre. Lord of the wolves.
• Fælværa (Iron Ossetic: Фæлвæра, romanized: Fælværa). Possibly named after Florus and Laurus. Fælværa was the protector of sheep and his festival was celebrated before sheep-shearing in September. He only has one eye. He is often the enemy of Tutyr.
• Æfsati (Iron Ossetic: Æфсати, romanized: Æfsati). Possibly named after Saint Eustace, he is a male hunting god.
• Kurdalægon (Iron Ossetic: Куырдалæгон, Курдалæгон, romanized: Kwyrdalægon, Kurdalægon). The heavenly smith. A close friend of the Narts.
• Satana (Сатана). Mother goddess, mother of the Narts.
• Saubarag (Iron Ossetic: Саубарæг or Сау бæрæджы дзуар, Сау бæрæги дзиуарæ, romanized: Sawbaræg or Saw barædžy dzwar, Saw bærægi dziwaræ, lit. '"black rider"'), the god of darkness and thieves.
• Huyændon Ældar (Хуыæндон Æлдар). Lord of the fish. A great magician and a spirit who behaves like an earthly chief ("ældar"). His name means "lord of the strait" according to Abaev; this is most probably the Cimmerian Bosphorus, the modern Strait of Kerch.
• Barastyr (Iron Ossetic: Барастыр, Барастæр, romanized: Barastyr, Barastær) Ossetian psychopomp. The ruler of the underworld who assigns arriving dead souls to either paradise or his own realm.
• Aminon (Iron Ossetic: Аминон, romanized: Aminon). Gatekeeper of the underworld.
• Alardy or Alaurdi (Iron Ossetic: Аларды, Алаурди, romanized: Alardy, Alawrdi). Lord of smallpox, who had to be placated.

The uac- prefix in Uastyrdzhi and Uacilla has no synchronic meaning in Ossetic, and is usually understood to mean "saint" (also applied to Tutyr, Uac Tutyr, perhaps Saint Theodore, and to Saint Nicholas, Uac Nikkola). The synchronic term for "saint", however, is syhdaeg (cognate to Avestan Yazata). Gershevitch (1955) connects uac with a word for "word" (Sanskrit vāc, cf. Latin vox), in the sense of Logos.