Patron of Cattle
Circassian · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Distinct from the sheep-god Amish (circassian_amish): the Circassian herd-function is split between Amish (sheep) and Akhin (cattle). No kin attested — see SOLITARY flag.
Domains
- cattle and herding
- pastoral sacrifice
Powers
- protects and prospers the cattle-herds
- sends the sacred cow that walks of its own accord to the sacrifice
Sources
- Akhin (Ahin) is the Circassian (Adyghe) patron-god of cattle, one of the most vital deities of the herding cult, honored above all in the rite of the sacred 'self-walking' sacrificial cow, especially among the coastal Shapsug.: Standard survey of Circassian paganism / Religion in Circassia (Ahin, patron of cattle; self-walking cow of Akhina). (secondary); Amjad Jaimoukha, The Circassians: A Handbook (Curzon, 2001) (Akhin and Khakustash, Shapsug protectors of cattle-breeding). (secondary)